Changing Places
by kimlovesjasperhale
Summary: a Bella and Jasper story.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.(sad, I know.)

She left me today. My beloved little elfin girl. And she took a part of me with her when she left. It hurts me so much that she didn't care whether I'd go crazy and kill myself if she left. But what hurt more was the reason why she left. And who she left with.

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I couldn't believe it. He left me. Again. Only this time it was not for my safety. He really didn't want me anymore. Standing beside him was the person who replaced me as his "angel". It hurts me so much that he left me because he doesn't love me anymore. But what hurts more is who he replaced me with.


	2. Chapter 2

Bella got into her truck and drove to the Cullen house, fighting the tears all throughout the ride. Upon reaching the house, she dashed to the front door, tripping twice. There would be no Alice and Edward dashing to greet her and crush her to death with their vampire hugs today. Esme appeared as if to greet Bella but quickly shut up as she saw the tears running down her face.

"Bella dear, what happ-", she didn't finish what she was about to say as Jasper appeared in front of them, looking literally like hell.

"Is it really true?" Bella whispered. Jasper nodded. Bella screamed, and amazingly for Esme, Emmett and Rosalie who just came down to see why Bella screamed, Jasper gathered Bella in his arms before she fell to the floor and put her on the couch. He didn't release her from his arms since she was hugging him so hard he thought Bella was imagining that he was Edward. But all he felt from her was pure sorrow and at the same time, comfort, probably from his hug and his hands which were tenderly stroking her hair.

"What's going on? Why are you two looking like secret lovers?" Emmett asked suspiciously. Rosalie gave him a scorching glare.

"Please, Emmett. Just shut up for once. I'll explain once she calms down," Jasper said. Emmett nodded, looking cautiously at both Jasper and Bella. Much to everyone's surprise, Rosalie plopped down on the couch and started stroking Bella's hair. Bella released her grip on Jasper's shirt and stared at Rosalie. Rosalie managed to give a small smile but was quickly turned to a flustered expression as Bella wailed once more and flung herself at Rosalie, fresh tears coming out of her eyes.

"God, what did you do to her, Hale?" he asked Jasper, a bit irritated. Jasper scowled and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"Fine, I'll explain it now just so to prove that I haven't done anything to her and to clear your thoughts of us being "secret lovers," he glared menacingly at Emmett, who looked sheepish as he realized that Jasper was only trying to comfort a very much distraught Bella.


	3. Chapter 3

Jasper looked at his hands as he started, "This morning I saw a letter on my bedside table which read,

_Jasper,_

_I'm so sorry about this but I have something to confess. Lately, I've realized that I love Edward much more than I thought I loved you. I know it's a bit of a problem here since everyone knows we're siblings, so we've decided to leave. I'm really sorry but I hope you'll move on and hopefully you'll find someone who'll deserve you and your love. Take care of yourself and remember that it's not your fault it didn't work out between us. I firmly believe that someone deserves you better than I do. Good bye for now and I hope by the time we meet again, you have forgiven me and we could be, in the least, friends. Be happy, Jasper._

_Alice_

I didn't know what to do after reading her letter. I peeked at her closet and saw that she left most of her clothes, taking only those she liked best. If I were human, I would have spiraled towards depression and flocked to the nearest bar and drown myself in alcohol, but strangely, I didn't feel anything except the initial shock, fury and helplessness. I thought of Bella and how she would take this very big blow, just months after being reunited with Edward. I knew she was coming here for I've felt her sorrow miles away and as she drove nearer, I could feel just how deep her pain is. I swear to God, if I ever felt that pain as a human, I would have gone insane. As she entered the house, I knew she was looking for me for confirmation and somehow, I read in her face that she would not take this confirmation lightly, and standing. To clear your dirty mind, Emmett, I prevented her from collapsing to the floor and brought her to the couch. I wanted to comfort her so I didn't remove my arms around her and besides, she was hugging me so tightly, sobbing uncontrollably on me that I didn't have the heart, scratch that, I didn't have the strength to remove her from my side. At least for the time being, just to ease her pain. Now, can we have your side of the story, Bella?"


	4. Chapter 4

Hey! I just want to thank you for the reviews and constructive criticisms. It's very much appreciated. I'll tie up the loose ends in the future chapters. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. (Although I wish I owned Jasper. :P )

Bella had finished crying now, but she was still hugging Rosalie. Jasper smirked as he saw Rosalie quite relaxed and almost happy that there was a bond that magically appeared between her and Bella in the short amount of time they spent in each other's arms. Rosalie released her and Bella sat up straight. She looked at Esme, the newly arrived Carlisle who was looking as sorry and at the same time furious at what they had just heard from Jasper as the rest of the family, Emmett who had to take a seat as he heard what had transpired just this morning, Rosalie, who looked at her sympathetically, and lastly, to Jasper who smiled at her and sent waves of calm towards her. She nodded in gratitude before she started. However, as she was about to start, images of what happened in her house made her all weepy again. But she fought through her tears as she began her story.

"I woke up this morning to find that Edward was not in his usual place in my bedroom. I looked for him all over the house after I dressed up for the day, thinking he was cooking breakfast. He was not in the kitchen so I figured he went home to change. But after breakfast and he was still nowhere near my house I started to worry. At first I thought that there was trouble again, I tried calling him but he wouldn't pick up the phone. That was when I started panicking. Someone rang the doorbell and I was immediately relieved as I saw Edward with Alice beside him. But what I expected to be a flurry of apology at his absence turned out to be the opposite. They were both looking apologetic alright, but as I saw their intertwined hands, I felt my heart being pulled out and shred to pieces. Edward came to say goodbye. He came to say that he didn't love me the way he thought he loved me and that he realized how much more in love he was with Alice than he was with me. He told me that I should move on and he knew that there would be someone who deserved me and my love and would be better in loving me than he had. After that, Alice apologized for not being able to tell me about it, and that she hoped I would forgive them and that maybe in the future when we meet again, I would be able to be in the least, friends with them again. All throughout that conversation, I just stood there, all frozen. I wondered why I was not passing out because of the pain, or why I was not even crying. As soon as they left, I made my way to the living room and sat down. For a long time, I stared at the wall, absorbing all that had just happened. And as it finally began to sink in, I almost choked from lack of oxygen as tears began to overflow from my tear ducts. I knew I couldn't handle this alone so I fought the million liters more tears that were waiting to come out and drove here. I guess the rest is history." Bella finished with another round of tears descending from her pale face.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I also don't own Emmett's petname for Bella ("Bellypoo"), I read it in another fan fiction, and I just found it cute.

Rosalie gathered Bella in her arms once more and stroked her hair and said, "Don't worry, Bella. Everything will turn out alright. I can always be your shopping buddy, if you need one. Or—or your best friend, if you want me to.", she finished shyly.

Bella looked up at her, probably thinking if this was the Rosalie who was first ignoring her presence in the Cullen household, then after few minutes of staring, which Rosalie found to be increasingly embarrassing, Bella smiled at her and said, "I would love that. Thank you, Rosalie."

If Rosalie were human, she would have blushed, instead she looked at her husband who was beaming at her and gave a small smile. "And I will always be your big, handsome brother. Don't forget that, Bellypoo," Emmett grinned. Bella laughed and rushed to give Emmett a bear hug.

"And remember, Bella dear, we will always be here for you. Another set of Mom and Dad, if you want," Esme said to her. This brought about fresh tears from Bella as she got up again and hugged Esme, with Carlisle stroking her hair.

"Thank you, all of you. You really are the best family I've ever known. From now on, I'll call you, Esme, Mom…and Carlisle, Dad. And Rosalie's going to be my shopping buddy (if I ever need one) and my girl best friend. Emmett as usual, will be my big, handsome brother. And Jasper will be my boy best friend, aside from being my brother. If it's alright with all of you?" Bella asked nervously.

"Duh. As if we can refuse our favorite human," Emmett rolled his eyes in a girly way which made all of them laugh, except Bella.

"Don't tell me you've been moved to tears again by just what Emmett said!" Rosalie asked disbelievingly. Bella laughed through her tears.

"No, it's just that despite everything that's happened, I feel happy. Thanks to all of you. I don't know what would have happened if there was no Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper. I guess I'm just so lucky I've found you guys," she said.

"Aww no, please don't cry anymore. You're making me cry with all of your realizations," Emmett said, a twitched expression in his face which finally made Bella stop crying and she started to laugh.

"Vampires don't cry, stupid," Jasper said, rolling his eyes.

"I know, I just----Hey!" Emmett replied, then stood up as he realized Jasper had called him stupid. Rosalie rolled her eyes and motioned for Bella to come with her. Esme and Carlisle beamed at her and went away just as Emmett started to playfully pounce on a laughing Jasper


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight.

A week after that, Bella was feeling a bit better. Although she had recurring nightmares of that fateful day during the night, she was never alone in the day. She spent almost every day in the Cullen house, playing games with Emmett and talking to Jasper, helping Esme with her cooking, reading with Carlisle in his enormous library, and most especially treasured for Bella, her bonding time with Rosalie. Bella had never been happier than spending time with Rosalie in her room, either going through some magazines, or talking about anything in particular. On rare occasions, Bella had even allowed Rosalie to do her a makeover and a shopping spree after. Bella felt like she had never lost Alice. Another week passed and Bella arrived in her home with a stack of letters waiting for her. It was from the different universities she had applied to. She saw a handful of what looked like acceptance letters and 1 thin letter, presumably a letter of denial.

With shaking hands, she opened the thin letter first. It had no return address, just her name written with an untidy scrawl on the back of the envelope. It contained a piece of paper that said, "Congratulations, Bella. I knew you would pass all those universities, especially the Ivy League ones. I'm so proud. I told Renee about it, she was ecstatic. Not to worry, I've got an educational plan for you so just choose whichever university you want and I'll take care of it. Love, Charlie. P.S. I thought it was nice to put a congratulatory letter in an envelope. Heheh."

She smiled as she read the last lines Charlie wrote and struggled to keep the tears from escaping her eyes. She moved on to open the thick letters. She gasped as she saw the school seal. Dartmouth's. She got accepted at Dartmouth, in the English literature program. The next was another Ivy League university, the University of Pennsylvania. Accepted. University of Seattle. Accepted. The last one was the University of Alaska Southeast. Accepted. She sat down and went over all the letters and said, "Okay, where to go, Bella?"

After gathering all the acceptance letters in her bag and wrote a note telling Charlie that she would sleepover at the Cullens for the night, she drove as fast as she could, almost bursting with excitement just thinking about the reaction her second family would show. Her face fell as she arrived at the Cullen's house and saw that Rosalie's convertible was not in the garage. She pulled up next to its usual place and trudged down to the front door. It was unusually quiet, except for the television which was blaring the news. Wondering where everyone is, she decided to knock, for fear that everyone had gone and left the TV on. She heard steps and the front door opened slowly, and then Jasper peeked.

"Bella? You were just here this morning. Don't tell me you missed us already!" Jasper teased her.

Bella rolled her eyes as she moved towards the living room and said, "Nuh-uh. I've got news, and I've humbly decided to tell them to all of you. Now where is 'all of you?'"

"'All of you', except me, went out hunting. I didn't come because I had just gone hunting last night. They won't be back until early tomorrow."

"Oh, right."

"Do you want to let me know what you're bursting to tell or do I have to coerce you to tell them?"

Bella laughed and said, "Fine. Thank your lucky stars you're my best friend or else I wouldn't even give out a single clue."

"I'm listening, now spill!"

"Fine! I got into Dartmouth! and UPenn! and University of Seattle! And University of Alaska Southeast."

Jasper looked at her as she said the last university looking down. "Is that where you were supposed to…?" Jasper asked.

Bella nodded and said, "Where do you think I should go?"

Jasper smiled and said, "Well, first of all, congratulations! I never doubted that you would get accepted in those universities. Well, I am a sophomore Psych major at Dartmouth so I'm recommending Dartmouth. Plus, if you choose Dartmouth, you'd get an instant flatmate. school buddy. Saturday night movie marathon buddy. bodyguard? shopping buddy? maybe even a tutor. and an—"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Showoff." Bella rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at Jasper.

"No, really. If you were in UPenn, or in U of Seattle, wouldn't you miss your handsome best friend? Your gorgeous confidante?" Jasper looked at Bella with his golden eyes, part of him teasing, part of him were curious. Bella laughed uneasily after he saw her blushing as he gazed at her.

"Yeah, I get it. I'll think about it. Oh, I hear Rosalie's convertible now! They must have gone home early." She quickly stood up and left Jasper gazing at her back with a slightly troubled expression on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight and it's characters.

Rosalie was just getting out of her car when she saw Bella rushing down to give Emmett, Esme and Carlisle a hug before running towards her (tripping twice) and giving her the tightest hug she could handle.

"Well, seems like you're missing us too much. Wasn't it only this morning that you were fighting over Halo 2 with Emmett?"

"I've got news!!" Bella announced.

"Let's go in and I'll tell you more about it." When everyone was gathered in the living room, Bella stood in front of them, looking extremely ecstatic.

"Well, this morning I got letters from Dartmouth, UPenn, U of Seattle and University of Alaska Southeast. And I got accepted at all of them!" She beamed as she said this. Both Esme and Carlisle stood up and gave her a big hug and congratulated her before going back to their seats.

"Wait, I'm not done yet. Because of this, I've got a major decision to make. And I want all of you to be a part of it. I can't decide where to enter so I'm asking each of you to vote which university you like best for me. Jasper already voted for Dartmouth so that's one point for Dartmouth."

Esme said after a moment of quiet thinking, "Well, I want you to be nearer to Forks so I won't miss you much and I can come visit you anytime so I'm voting for U of Seattle."

Carlisle however shook his head and said, "No, for me, I want Bella in Dartmouth. I hear they've got an excellent English Literature program. Plus, Jasper's there so she won't be alone."

Jasper grinned and said, "Yeah, I'd get to scare any college guy who'd want to date her." Bella rolled her eyes at him but smiled after.

"Yeah! Um, I was thinking, Rose, maybe it's not too late for us to transfer to Dartmouth so we can get to scare those guys, too? Whatcha think?" Emmett asked his wife, with a wistful expression.

"Don't even think about it, Emmett Cullen."

"Right, fine. If that's the case, then I vote for UPenn, so I get to guard her from all those horny college boys."

"Emmett!"

"Ow. That hurt, Rosie." Rosalie smirked and flipped her hair after smacking her husband.

"Bella's a strong girl. She can take care of herself. But for me, I want her to be in UPenn as well, so I wouldn't miss you much when school starts, Bella," Rosalie said, looking down as she spoke.

Bella hugged her before she looked at everyone and said, "Well, it's a tie between UPenn and Dartmouth. Let's call Charlie, he'll be the tiebreaker." She took the phone Rosalie handed her and dialed Charlie's number.

"Hello?" Charlie asked, warily.

"Hey Dad, it's Bella."

"Oh, hey Bella. What's up, y'all?"

"Dad, don't even try speaking like a teenager. It's freaky."

Charlie laughed. "Fine."

"Um, Dad. I was wondering. If you were to choose between Dartmouth and UPenn for my college education, where do you think you would want me to go?" Long pause.

"Well, I've always liked Dartmouth's reputation. And I think the atmosphere there is really conducive for learning."

"Great, thanks for the advice, Dad.! Bye!"

She shut the phone and looked at everyone, "Well, that's it then. Dartmouth, here I come."

"Great, let's start shopping for college clothes tomorrow!" Rosalie jumped up and dragged a suddenly distressed Bella to her room to get her ready for bed. She was so busy trying not to fall down while she was being dragged by Rosalie that she failed to notice the sudden giddiness of the atmosphere, almost like someone was giving off waves of extreme joy.

She turned to the living room as she was about to step onto the stairs and shouted, "Good night, Esme, Carlisle. Emmett. Jasper!" Then she waited to guess who would be the first to greet her back.

"Goodnight, Bella dear." No doubt, Esme.

"Sleep well, Bella." Bella smiled, Carlisle was always so formal.

"'Night, Bellypoo." No need to say that it was Emmett, it was only he who calls her "Bellypoo."

Then she waited for Jasper, suddenly remembering the effect of his golden eyes on her lately.

She blushed and blushed some more as Jasper finally spoke and said, "Sweet dreams, Bella."

She ran up to Rosalie's room for fear that Jasper might feel the embarrassment she felt. And at the same time that warm and fuzzy feeling she used to associate only to Edward.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight and it's characters.

A week before college starts, Bella, Rosalie and Esme flew to Massachusetts to help Bella settle in with Jasper in his 2-bedroom, 2-storey flat just on the outskirts of Dartmouth. Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett would be driving the Mercedes, Rosalie's Convertible, and Jasper's newly bought Audi all the way to Massachusetts, which were all filled with all the Cullen's plus Bella's luggage. They were expected to arrive 3 days after the girls had. Renee and Charlie would both be arriving the Saturday of that week, where they would all get together in Jasper and Bella's flat for dinner before the rest of the Cullens, except Jasper, would leave for UPenn (where Emmett and Rosalie are currently sophomore Physics majors, a course which Rosalie insisted they take to help her with her work on cars)

Upon arriving at Jasper's flat, Bella, Esme and Rosalie dumped their things and proceeded to inspect the place.

"I always knew Jasper would be this elegant.", Esme gushed, looking at the expensive looking kitchen equipment.

"I never knew he could be so neat!" Rosalie exclaimed, her forefinger swiping slightly the top of Jasper's flat screen TV, finding no dirt.

Esme frowned at her.

Bella laughed and asked, "Where do you think my room is?"

Rosalie looked around and muttered, "Well, it seems like the only places in this part of his, I mean, your flat is the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and a pantry. So I'm guessing that the 2 bedrooms are upstairs. And hopefully another bathroom. Can you imagine how hard it is if you were to share a bathroom? Gross!" she ended with a horrified look which made Bella and Esme laugh.

They proceeded to the second floor. Thankfully, both bedrooms had separate bathrooms. Bella's room was slightly smaller than Jasper's, but nevertheless still big. Apparently, Jasper already had the room furnished before they arrived.

Bella gasped as she took in everything that Jasper had put in her room.

A queen-sized bed, Plasma TV, DVD player, airconditioner, personal refrigerator. On her study desk she almost fainted as she saw that Jasper bought her a Macbook, an iMac, an iPod and an iHome.

"I think Steve Jobs owes Jasper one big thank you." Rosalie said, eyeing the iHome with envy.

Bella still had not snapped out of her shock. Esme looked a bit worried and asked her, "Bella, dear, are you alright?" Bella finally snapped out and nodded.

"I'll kill Jasper. I told him not to spend money on me."

Rosalie laughed.

"As if he would listen to you. He pampers you too much, I wouldn't be surprised if you suddenly announced you're together!"

Bella blushed, but rolled her eyes quickly to avoid curiosity. "Nah. I think he's too loose with his money. Like, hello? Who needs as iMac AND a Macbook?"

It was Rosalie's turn to roll eyes and said, "Bella, the iMac is for home use. The Macbook's for class use."

"Why can't you just use the Macbook for both?"

Rosalie only sighed and said, "Leave him be, Bella. You know he likes spoiling you."

Bella moved on to see the bathroom and looked back at Rosalie, with a disbelief etched on her face.

"Look at this! He is so over the top! I really am going to strangle him when he gets here", she cried out, fuming.

Rosalie and Esme went in and understood her outburst.

The bathroom was a bit larger than average, with pale-gold tiled walls and a matching carpet below the sink. What triggered Bella's fury was the enormous bathtub that was situated at the corner. It was a very pretty sight and it did go along with the elegant atmosphere the bathroom and the bedroom was invoking, thus, making it look very, very expensive.

When they came out, Bella was sitting on the bed with her arms folded and her lips pursed as she muttered, "Well, at least I know the closet's going to empty. Unless he did the shopping for me as well!"

Rosalie choked back a laugh as she moved to the shoes rack and beckoned to Bella, "Bella, um----"

Bella stood up in horror and cried, "Don't tell me he—"

Rosalie cut her off and said, "No he didn't buy you an entire wardrobe. Just a pair of shoes. You know he likes shoes."

Bella sighed and plopped down on the bed.

"Don't you want to see it?" Rosalie asked.

Bella shook her head, but noticing the smile Esme had as she looked at the shoes, she went over to them to take a look. She stood for a moment then cried out,

"Oh, for the love of---why does he have to spend so much! Even for shoes! They're just shoes, for Chrissakes!"

Rosalie raised her eyebrows and said, "Don't you want them? They're really pretty. Jasper has a very nice sense of style, mind you. And they are Jimmy Choos." Then with a thoughtful expression, she added, "If you don't want them, can I have them then?"

"No!"

Bella blushed and looked down, muttering, "I mean, I wouldn't want to hurt Jasper's feelings, would I?"

Rosalie recovered her shock and smirked, "And you really just like the shoes. Admit it, Swan."

Bella rolled her eyes but nodded sheepishly. "It's not everyday I get free Jimmy Choo shoes, you know."

After scouring the rest of the second floor, that was Jasper's bedroom, which had the same amenities as Bella's with the addition of an Xbox and a hot tub in his bathroom, a communal bathroom, probably for almost non-existent visitors, which was smaller than the ones inside their bedrooms, they stopped at another door.

"Last one. Wonder what this is.", Esme muttered. As she opened the door, she heard Bella squeal with joy.

It was a small library but with hundreds of books, most were in the bookshelves while some were piled on the floor. There were several comfortable looking couches and an official-looking study table. Bella was so overjoyed she didn't notice that there was another iMac in the room as well as speakers at every corner of the room. She ran to the nearest pile of books and shouted with glee as she faced Esme and Rosalie. "Scratch what I said about Jasper! I'm going to love this place!" she said joyfully, hugging a copy of her favorite Wuthering Heights.

Rosalie looked around and after a few minutes of watching Bella scour the new-smelling bookshelves, she said,

"All right then, you'll have time to pour over them later. Now we have to buy your essentials. I noticed Jasper forgot to spoil you with expensive soap and toothpaste."

Bella grinned and nodded.

"Good thing he didn't. Then we wouldn't have to go to the grocery and have a real human bonding time!" she chirped.

And so they made their way out to the streets and waited for a cab.

What happened next shocked them to this day


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight and it's characters.Sorry, this is kind of short. I'll try to make the next chapter longer. :)

Upon reaching the streets, 3 cabs and an ultra-posh looking Mercedes Benz stopped in front of Rosalie, Bella and Esme. Bella blushed while Rosalie smirked and Esme had a flattered expression on her face as the 3 cab drivers went out of their cab and opened the door for them. The Mercedes driver lowered his passenger side window and asked them, "Where to, ladies?"

None of the girls answered him for they were still in a daze at what had just happened. Finally, Rosalie answered.

"We're walking."

At that, she turned her back and walked away from the stunned drivers and motioned for Bella and Esme to follow her. All 3 of them walked in silence until finally Bella broke it and sighed,

"Well, that was a first."

Rosalie laughed and said, "Not really. But it never fails to stun me."

Finally, after over 20 minutes of walking and asking for directions, they were able to locate the grocery and bought the necessary items for Bella's flat. They talked while they shopped, they shopped while they talked. After an hour, they finally had to take a cab for they had bought so many goods. Thankfully, this time only 2 taxis fought over them.

When they arrived at the flat, Bella noticed that someone had left a message on the answering machine. She pushed the button and heard Carlisle say, "Hey, girls. How was your trip? The boys and I might arrive sooner than expected. I'm guessing we'd get there late Wednesday night. See you soon, girls."

Esme's face lit up as she was listening and muttered, "Oh, good." Rosalie nodded, obviously missing Emmett already.

Carlisle, Emmett and Jasper arrived on a clear Wednesday night, clearly windblown but ecstatic as they got to see the girls again. They went about their mini reunion and Jasper immediately lounged in the sofa beside Bella.

"So…" he began.


	10. Chapter 10

Hey! Thank you for all the reviews. and the 2,000+ hits. Really. :) I'll try to make the next chapters longer. :)

Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight or any of it's characters. Neither do I own Apple.

* * *

"So." Bella retorted.

Jasper raised an eyebrow, unsure, and began again. "So, how do you like your room?"

Bella stayed silent, weighing her opinions as she cocked her head to one side. Jasper grew impatient and gently pulled her hair.

"Ow! Okay, okay, okay. There are three things I want to say to you right now, Jasper Hale. First, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. I told you, I told you millions of times never to spend on me. You made it two times worse. You _overspent_," she said, stressing on the final word.

"I needed a bathroom. I didn't need a freaking pool! I'm betting I could swim laps in there if I tried. Plus, there's the shoes. Hel-lo. In case you haven't noticed, not much people struts college campuses wearing three-inch stilettos. Are you trying to kill me?" Bella was turning red, but Jasper was looking up at the ceiling, trying very hard not to laugh.

"Third—"

"Uh, Bella? That's three already."

"Oh." Bella was caught offguard.

"Whatever!" She continued. "Next, do you want to buy Apple? Are you secretly their endorser or something? Do they give you free stuff? I don't need an iMac _and_ a MacBook. I'm not high-maintenance, Jasper. You, of all people, should know that."

Jasper was covering his mouth discreetly to keep himself from laughing. He couldn't even send off waves of calm to Bella, because he was too busy controlling his own laughter. "Is that all, Bella?" He asked.

"Nope. There's one last thing."

Jasper raised his head, amused. He wondered what else he could have done wrong. It seemed that Bella was ticking things off a list.

"What is it?" He replied curiously.

"And finally…"

"Yes?"

But Bella moved closer to him clumsily and gave him the tightest hug she could muster. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear.

A wave of emotions ran through Jasper. He wasn't sure if it was all from Bella or merely his own. He couldn't describe it, either. It was warm, fuzzy, comfortable and light all at the same time. Sort of like the feeling he used to associate only with Alice.

He awkwardly patted Bella's back and cleared his throat. "Anything for you." He chuckled, shaking his head lightly.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of it's characters. Maybe I'll steal Jasper in the future. Mwahahaha. ;p

* * *

Saturday came and went. Bella and Jasper already settled and unloaded their luggage. Jasper did his in a span of three minutes, while it took Bella almost half a day to finish everything. All that time, Jasper was in her room, helping her lift and move her heavy things.

They were done with the family dinner last night, and Bella was impressed by the Cullen's charade. She was slightly guilty, but she was extremely pleased that neither Renee nor Charlie doubted the whole setup. Charlie was still convinced that Jasper and Alice were together, which was probably why he never gave any qualms with the setup of his daughter and Jasper living together.

Both of Bella's parents never dared to bring up Edward's name. They remember too well what happened the last time they were apart, and the new persona Bella morphed into because of the grief. They were just glad that the Cullens were still very supportive of Bella, like she was part of their own family.

Bella was busy reading Rosalie's e-mail to her.

"Hey Bella!

I really hope Jasper isn't giving you a hard time in there. Are you excited? College is such a big leap! I know you can do it, Bella. You've been through so much these past few months, but I believe in your courage. Stay strong, and I miss you already! Emmett isn't much fun to be with during shopping sprees.

Speaking of Emmett, he says hi. He's hoping that you don't get to meet horny college boys. But don't pay attention to him. You know he's just a big kjskjshfvcukrhce

iscdmjfkcjasfdd

Hi! Bella! aiksmakmcxdks"

Bella got to the end of the message with a confused look in her face. Weird message, she thought to herself. Then she clicked the next one, also from Rose.

"Oops, sorry about that. You know how Emmett gets touchy about the truth. Anyway, have fun in there. We will visit soon. Don't forget to update me!

Much love,

Rose"

Just then, a window popped up and she received an IM. It was from Jasper. She wondered why Jasper would send her an IM when he was just across her room. She suspected that it was a prank. She felt her face redden as she read.

jasperhaleandalicecullen: hey, bellypoo!

bellaswan913:are you trying to impersonate emmett?

jasperhaleandalicecullen: jk. i'm just wondering where you'd like to eat tonight.

bellaswan913: ummm…

jasperhaleandalicecullen: okay, my mistake for even asking you. your sense of direction is so poor that a mouse in a maze could beat you any day.

bellaswan913 :P

bellaswan913: ha ha ha.

bellaswan913: um. jasper? are you ok with your id?

jasperhaleandalicecullen: …

jasperhaleandalicecullen: i haven't found a nice replacement yet.

bellaswan913: oh. want me to help you?

jasperhaleandalicecullen: nah. i'll change it when I feel it's the right time. –wink-

bellaswan913: whatever. do you really want to go out or can I just fix something up for myself?

jasperhaleandalicecullen: fine. see you downstairs in a bit. :)

jasperhaleandalicecullen has logged out.

Bella stared at the screen and felt something out of place when she realized she kept staring at Jasper's id. Could she be, of all things, _jealous?_No, she muttered to herself. And if she was, trying desperately to negate her own thoughts, it was a sisterly kind of jealousy. You know, when your favorite brother gets a hot girlfriend and you're afraid he'll forget you. That kind of jealousy. Yes, that's what it is, she kept telling herself as she shut down her computer and started towards the door.

Morning came and she woke up to the sound of her alarm clock and of the smell of bacon being cooked. She wondered if Jasper hired a cook and a maid for her. Rubbing her eyes as she made her way downstairs, she was surprised to make it all the way down without tripping. Or maybe not. Walking towards the kitchen, she tripped over a rug. She braced herself for the impending impact of her face with the floor but it never came. She opened her eyes and gasped. A strong pair of cold arms had grasped her waist, preventing her fall. Looking slowly up at the face of the arm's owner, she realized that she was just inches from Jasper's face.

She blushed crimson red as Jasper leaned forward so that they were face to face, worry clearly in his eyes as he said, "Are you alright, Bella?"

He still had not removed his arms from her waist which made Bella blush even more as she realized it. She managed a weak nod as she looked down, afraid that Jasper would see the tomato that was her face. He chuckled and said nothing more as he walked back to the kitchen. Bella followed him after trying very hard not to hyperventilate as she thought of the intensity of the concern on Jasper's golden eyes.

She was surprised that Jasper had good cooking skills even though he couldn't eat. He made her pancakes, toast, bacon and coffee. She was impressed that he knew what was to be served for breakfast considering that for the last 100+ years, he never had any. She asked him and she got a simple answer, "TV." Gotta love those cooking shows.

She made her way up to her room to take a shower and get ready for school. She chose to wear jeans, a blue shirt and blue Chucks. She grabbed her jacket and her bag and rushed downstairs, fearing they would be late for the first day of college. Thankfully, she didn't trip again and rushed to the parking lot where an impatient Jasper clucked behind the wheel of his car and said, "We're late!" She looked at her watch and gasped. 7:50.

Jasper smirked.

"If you really don't want to be late, you might want to get in the car so I could drive us there already."

Bella grinned sheepishly and hastily got into the car. Jasper got to Dartmouth in less than 5 minutes and was about to walk towards the entrance to the halls when he saw that Bella was rooted in her spot and was panicking. He walked to her side and asked, "What's wrong? Are you having first day jitters?" he said, attempting to make her less panicked. He sent waves of calm to her and she nodded gratefully.

"I have less than 5 minutes and I don't know where my building is!"

Jasper laughed. Bella glared at him. "What? You think it's funny? Me being late, and it's just the first day!" She moaned.

Bella had to fight a shiver as Jasper put his arms around her shoulder. She knew Jasper wanted her to look at him, but she couldn't. _Wouldn't._She knew what she would see and she knew her reaction to what she would see. Jasper grew impatient and lifted her face by the chin with his hand and said,

"Bella, did you think I would leave you to find your classes in a campus as big as this?"

Bella blushed but quickly answered, "Well, I thought you would rush off to your first class."

Jasper started to walk with Bella towards the entrance as they had less than 3 minutes to spare before the start of class. They arrived at the classroom with a minute to spare. To her surprise, Jasper entered the classroom with her. She rolled her eyes.

"Jasper, I am forever grateful that you didn't make me look like a lost puppy in Dartmouth but I think I can manage to find my seat and not be lost in a classroom."

Jasper didn't mind her and instead, sat in the middle row and motioned for Bella to sit with him. She sat down next to him and looked at him pointedly. He smiled.

"Did you ever wonder why I didn't ask for the classroom where you're going?"

"Oh yeah. Why is that?"

Jasper grinned. "Say hello to your classmate."

Bella gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "Wh-what?"

Jasper grinned again as he began to explain, attracting a number of girls a few seat down the row.

"Well, even before you knew your schedule, I checked it at the registrar. I coaxed the registrar to make me arrange my schedule to fit your own and to make us classmates in the same subjects. So far, we have 3 classes together, all of your majors I've made my free electives. The only thing I'm not having with you is Social Psychology and you are having Early English Literature without me. But we have lunch together. Now, question me more later. Professor's here."

Even if Bella wanted to ask a million questions to Jasper, she couldn't bring herself to snap out of her shock over what she had just found out and stop staring at Jasper. He must have finally noticed that she was still staring at him and pointed her head towards the Professor who was looking at her, obviously irked.

Bella blushed and said, "I'm so sorry, ma'm."

The professor nodded and said, "Next time, Miss—"

"Swan."

"Yes. Isabella Swan? Next time, Ms. Swan, try to restrain yourself from looking at your boyfriend. I'm sure he wouldn't cheat on a pretty girl like you with me." She finished, with a small smile on her face.

The class laughed at this which made Bella blush a deep red. She was about to say that they were not a couple but Jasper laid a hand on hers and whispered, "Leave it, Bella." She closed her mouth and nodded.

The class ended an hour later and as they walked out, Jasper looked uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, Jasper?" Bella asked him as they walked to their next class, which they were again classmates.

He smiled at her and said, "Well..."

* * *

I love cliffhangers. Haha. I shall try to update, but if not, definitely by Saturday I'll add more chapters. Thanks again for the nice reviews. :) 


	12. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Correction (thank you for this, Niamh929):

Sorry, I'm not familiar with where Ivy League schools are exactly located, all I know is that they're in the East side of the United States. So, just for the purpose of clearing things up, Dartmouth College, the Ivy league school where Bella and Jasper are supposed to attending (in my story), is in Hanover, New Hampshire, not Massachusetts. I'm sorry if I got you confused with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth campus. But for this story, let's just pretend that it's in Massachusetts. Plus, it'll save me all the fuss in editing the previous chapters. Thank you. :)

Oh and by the way, the last two chapters have been made mostly by my friend, coreen010. She's a way better writer than me. Thanks for the help, twin!

I can't thank you enough for the reviews. Initially, I just wanted to post a story just for fun and because I wanted to write something about Bella and Jasper, I didn't really care about how many hits the story would get, or the reviews I would receive. But then you readers gave really nice reviews and I'm overwhelmed by 2000+ hits, now I'm writing partly for my enjoyment, and partly because I want to give back the enjoyment I felt while reading your reviews.

I'll update soon, maybe this weekend. Thank you, friends. –gives out virtual hugs—

kimlovesjasperhale (my name's kim, if you haven't noticed.) 


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Bella's POV

"Well…do you want in on a secret?" Jasper asked me as we were walking to the next classroom.

I frowned at him.

"No, I want to know why you looked uncomfortable during our first class."

"But that's the secret."

"Oh. Right. Fine. Spit it out, I don't have all day!" He laughed but then stopped rather quickly.

Wearing a serious expression on his face, he looked at me and spoke,

"More than half of the male population in that class has the hots for you."

I grimaced as he said this. Jasper laughed as he saw my expression.

"What is so funny about that? Do you think I'd feel different? Flattered, perhaps? Eww.."

Jasper stopped laughing and said quietly, "I know."

I blushed but looked at him defiantly, "Then what are you laughing about?"

"I'm imagining the look on their faces once I scare them off. Maybe I'll get Emmett to scare them. He looks scarier than I do. Or maybe we can double…"

"You wouldn't!" I slapped him on the shoulder as hard as I could.

"Hey, I thought you were disgusted with the idea of having college boys loitering around you?"

"I am. But that doesn't mean I want them to pee in their pants out of fright from Emmett's threats! You know how he can get so overprotective!"

"And I can't be as overprotective of you as Emmett? I'd like to see one of those boys try get pass me. I'll cut their heads off if they even lay a finger on you."

I felt a chill down my spine as he said this, and it had nothing to do with the weather. I rolled my eyes but said no more as we entered the classroom.

The rest of the day passed by and I was glad my first day in Dartmouth was overall okay. My first two classes were with Jasper, and then I had a free period while he had Social Psychology. I spent that free period looking for the library and grinning like mad when I saw how big it was. I had Early English Literature before lunch, where I talked to my seatmate in the attempt of finding a new friend. Her name was Kate and she seemed nice enough. We chatted for a while before we separated, she to her next class and me to lunch with Jasper at the cafeteria. After lunch, we walked to the last class we had together. Jasper seemed oblivious to the girls who stared at him and kept on making small talk with me, getting exasperated as I kept getting distracted (okay, and maybe a little annoyed) by the girls who were eyeing him and glaring at me. After that class, I was free to go home but Jasper had another class after that, and since I was riding with him, I waited for him in the library while he had laboratory work. We stopped by a Chinese diner and Jasper bought take-outs for my dinner. I didn't complain as I was thinking of the amount of homework the teachers had piled on us, and it's just the first day. Good thing I had him to help me.

My first week in college was a breeze, mainly thanks to Jasper who made it easier for me to adjust. By Friday I had so many things to do that I doubted if I could even lay a finger on a book in Jasper's, I mean, _our_library. That night, as I was getting ready to start on my homework, he knocked on my door.

"Bella?"

I turned around and looked at him, peeking from the door. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Starting my homework." He entered my room and frowned.

"But it's Friday night! You have all weekend for that!"

I rolled my eyes at him but as I was about to tell him that my homework was so massive I doubt if I even finish it before Monday, he went in and grabbed my hand.

"We're going out." he said as he pulled me out of my chair.

I tried hard not to blush as I looked at him and said, "And where do you think we're going?"

"Dinner then movies."

I could not hold it anymore. Blood rushed to my cheeks. I hurriedly pushed him out of my room before he felt the staggering amount of embarrassment and elation I felt at the thought of going out and said, "Fine, fine. Just let me change my clothes."

He chuckled as he went out, leaving me to the point of hyperventilation.

My mind was panicking as I didn't know what to wear. I almost wished Alice was here, but the thought of it brought a sting of pain. I didn't realize I was standing in front of my closet, deep in thought as to what I should wear, when I heard a small cough behind my back. I turned around and saw Jasper, arms folded and slightly smirking.

"Five minutes. You've been standing in front of your closet for five minutes. And you haven't even picked something to wear."

"Hey, it's not my fault this going out was on such short notice!"

"Fine. Let me pick what clothes you'll wear."

I blocked my closet with my back and stared at him.

"Hey, hey. I know I'm not as good as you in picking out clothes but I think I can manage."

"Bella, if I let you pick, you'd take at least 10 minutes to choose, 20 minutes to dress yourself up. That's half an hour. And if you count the number of times you'd be falling, it'll take an hour even before we get out of here."

Good point.

"And if I let you pick?"

"Less than 3 minutes. And you'll be ready in 10."

I sighed and moved away from the closet. Rosalie said he had a great sense of style after all.

He opened my closet door and looked around for less than 2 seconds before pulling out a pair of slim jeans. "Nice." he said, handing it to me. **(A/N: Pictures of Bella and Jasper's outfit as well as the Jimmy Choos Jasper bought for Bella are on my profile.)**

Next, he moved on to my tops. He picked a white top that Rosalie had bought before we left Forks. He also pulled out a purse which I had rarely used due to the fact that it looked flashy. He looked at me and said, "Why haven't you used this before? It's nice."

I raised my eyebrows and said. "Because there was never an occasion where I thought it would be fit to use that."

"Well, now is the time to use them. It'll make a good contrast with the simplicity of your jeans and top. And bring the trench coat Esme bought for you before they left for Penn. And wear that." he pointed to the pointed heels lying on the bottom of my shoes rack, that I bought the last time Alice and I had gone shopping. I had no intention to wear them since I bought them just to shut Alice up.

"You're trying to kill me."

"No, I'm trying to make all college guys drool at the sight of you and envy me. Now, you've got 10 minutes."

And then he left, leaving me rooted to the ground once more, unable to snap myself out of the shock at what he just said. I thought of his words as I changed into the clothes he picked while still in a daze. After changing, I looked at myself in the mirror and got shocked at what I looked like. The simple top and jeans paired with the wristlet and the heels gave the outfit a simple yet elegant aura. I loved it.

Walking down the stairs, trying hard not to fall, I felt giddiness mounting inside me. I felt like I had never lost Alice and Edward. He had Alice's sense of style and Edward's good looks and charming demeanor. He was Alice and Edward rolled into one. Finding him at the foot of the stairs, looking even more dashing as usual, and smiling warmly as he saw me, and as I smiled back at him and we walked out of_our_flat together to the restaurant he insisted we eat, I thought, "No, he's not just Alice and Edward rolled into one. He's even better." And with that, I realized, I had fallen, once again, deeply in love.

-------oOo-------

We ate at this quaint restaurant a few blocks away from our flat. Naturally, Jasper didn't eat, leaving me quite conscious of his unfaltering gaze on me while I ate. I knew I didn't do so well in repressing the emotions I felt while with him because I was hyper aware of the small smile that seemed permanently etched on his ivory face.

After dinner, we walked a few more blocks to the movie house, making small talk which did very little to ease the mounting nervousness I was feeling. He seemed to notice it since I came down from my bedroom but didn't question me about it. I thought he didn't want to pry into my feelings anymore. Apparently not, because he looked my way as we walked, and asked, "Why have you been so quiet tonight?"

"Oh, I..uh…nothing. I'm..um..just thinking about the amount of homework waiting at home."

"Bella, you're a really bad liar. Is there something wrong?"

Yes, there's something wrong, you idiot. I'm hyperventilating every time you smile, my heart stops every time you raise your eyebrows and act all sexy. I don't think I can retain my sanity for the rest of the year. Hell yes, something is definitely wrong. I'm in love with you, you idiot.

"Nope, everything's peachy."

"Riiight." he said, obviously not buying it, but he didn't ask more as we had arrived at the movie house already. I chose this horror flick about vampires. Jasper looked at me, amused at my choice. I shrugged and motioned for him to stand on the ticket line. After buying the tickets, popcorn and soda, we went all the way up inside the theater and picked the middle seats of the last row. The movie was full of surprises that I was jumping every time a vampire appeared. This seemed to entertain Jasper so much he was shaking of laughter in his seat. I frowned and looked at him.

"What?!"

"Why are you so scared, it's not like you haven't seen a vampire! Reality check, Bella, you're living with one!" And that set him into another laughing fit. He seemed to notice that I wasn't in the mood for laughing and that I was truly freaked out by the movie. He stopped laughing and put an arm around my shoulders, making my heart stop for a few seconds and beat wildly again. I wonder if he heard that, or if he was just too polite not to bring up the subject. As of now, I didn't really care. All that matters is him and me, and the rest just fades in the background.

"Hey, I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that I'm finding it ridiculous that you get scared of some vampire flick and yet you don't seem the least bit perturbed that you're living with one, lest having a date with one." It was a good thing it was dark for I had blushed as he recognized this "going out" as a date.

"Eh, well, because the vampires I know are so much nicer, not to mention good looking, than these horrible-looking ones on the big screen." There was this warm and fuzzy feeling again, I didn't know if this was Jasper's or mine, but I liked it. I looked at him, only to see him looking at me, too. He smiled and he put my head on his shoulders.

"Well, you know I'd protect you from all those horrible-looking ones any time. And maybe even those not-so horrible looking ones." he whispered.

And although I could have died of hyperventilation to what he said and as I adjusted my head upon his shoulders, I knew I would fight death because right now, heaven couldn't possibly be better.


	14. Chapter 13

**Hello! I know the previous chapters and the next few chapters are going to be happy-happy, but it's because they're going to make up for the future chapters which are not going to be remotely happy at all. Haha. Thank you for all the hits and reviews. They made me extra happy. Just ask my friends how emotional I am when I read all your reviews. I know, melodramatic. Hahahaha.  
**

**Oh and thanks to my friend Dorothy, for typing the majority of this chapter for me and Coreen, for helping with the editing. I love you, Dotz and Coreen!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything. **

Chapter 13

Bella's POV

It was past midnight when the movie ended. Even with my trench coat on, it was still extremely chilly that I didn't doubt that Jasper heard my teeth chattering. He ended up calling for a cab to take us home since much more anxious than I was about getting sick. True enough, by the time we entered the surprisingly warm flat, I was not feeling good. After a quick hot shower, I was ready to tuck in when Jasper knocked and entered, bringing with him a tray with a glass, a pitcher of water, and what seemed like half of the drugstore. He laid the tray by my bed side table and sat down on my bed.

He looked down at his hands while he said, "I brought these up in case you get sick during the night. If you feel really ill, I'll be in my room, call for me and I'll come right in and bring you to the hospital."

"Jasper…"

"I know you feel weird and a little cold and think that it's just a simple cold and cough that will be gone in a few days, but just to be sure, I'll bring you to the hospital tomorrow."

"Jasper, there's no need to do that. This is nothing that cold medicine can't fight. Give it 2 to 3 days and I'll be up and running again. I'm going to be fine."

He looked up at me, his face full of anxiety and even a bit of anger.

"What if you're not going to be fine in 2 or 3 days? What if you'd get worse? What if after 3 days you'd succumb to some rare illness but I didn't bring you to the hospital because you thought it was just "flu"? How do you think I'd live with myself if something happened to you?"

I stared at him, in shock. His face turned from pained to frustrated, and he looked down again.

Finding my voice, I looked at him even though he was looking at the floor. "Jasper, thank you for your concern. But I'm sure I'm going to be fine. I just need a little rest, that's all."

He looked at me and said, "You are so stubborn, Bella Swan. Just let me take you for a check- up tomorrow."

My head felt like it was about to burst and I really wanted to sleep but he was still nagging me so I was getting frustrated. "You are so paranoid, Jasper Hale. I don't need to go to the hospital for a simple case of flu. There's no need to overreact."

He stood up and looked at me, his beautiful face full of hurt.

"Paranoid? You think I'm paranoid? Well then, if you think I'm too paranoid, then I'll stop bothering you. I wouldn't care if you got pneumonia or tuberculosis because of your stubbornness. If you think I'm overreacting, then I'll leave you alone. "

He tore his eyes away from me and walked out of the door, leaving me alone with my mouth hanging open, all sickness forgotten, and my heart breaking because of my own stupidity.

---oOo----

After what seemed like an eternity, I got up from my bed and walked to his bedroom. After a few knocks, I entered his room only to find it devoid of Jasper. I didn't find him in the library as well. Panicking, I hoped he was downstairs. Trying very hard not to fall, I went down. My heart fell as the room was dark and unoccupied. Walking towards the recliner chair, I simultaneously sobbed and cursed Jasper for overreacting and yet I couldn't help but feel guilty.

He must have thought that I felt that he was holding me by the throat, suffocating me. If only I could tell him that it's the exact opposite of what I felt. I wanted to tell him I am very grateful for him. He is my savior 24/7. My protector. Everything seemed easier with him around. I know he'll always be there, that he'll never leave, even if I ask him to. That will never happen, for I'm very much intoxicated by him. Hypnotized by his very presence. Being in his arms, I felt safe. I felt protected. It's as if nothing that the cruel world can ever hurt me, or reach me for that matter, as long as he's there and he's with me.

It is possible that I feel safer and more comfortable with him than when I was with Edward. I felt safe and comfortable with Edward alright, but there was always this nagging feeling that someday he'll find someone to replace me and because of his vampire powers, I wouldn't notice until the day he breaks off with me and runs away with that someone. Which is exactly what happened a few months earlier. With Jasper, it's different. You can't help but trust him. To place your entire savings in his bank account and not be worried that he'll steal it away from you. To be willing to lay your heart on the palm of his hand and not be worried that he'll crush it in 2 seconds flat. With Jasper, I feel security, comfort. And love. Pure, all-encompassing love. Lots of it.

I guess that's a part of his charm. And I love him for that.

But right now, he's thinking I'm feeling the exact opposite.

I was about to stand up and return to my bedroom when I heard a small cough.

I screamed as I saw _him_, half-laying on the couch, staring at me the _entire_ time.

JASPER'S POV

I thought of leaving the flat to clear my head but decided against it. What if Bella got really sick and called for me? I couldn't just leave her alone. I went downstairs and laid down on the couch and closed my eyes, hoping for the sleep that I knew would never come.

I know I shouldn't have burst out on her like that, especially when she wasn't feeling well. But what she said had hurt me. But I had been more frustrated at myself. I didn't know where I was going with Bella.

At first, I knew I lover her as a little sister. I wanted her to be happy with us in Forks and while she's with me in Dartmouth. I wanted her to have the best of everything. I wanted her to forget her pain, though not in an instant, but to slowly move on. I wanted her to experience what it's like to have siblings who'll protect her from all forms of danger. I knew she wasn't going to be fully recovered when she enters college, so I was hell-bent on protecting her from the college guys who would only want her as a trophy, a toy or whatnot. But as days passed by, I grew much too fond of her.

I didn't know if this was still a brotherly kind of love or something more. Something a little more powerful.

I was so used to saving her from her daily trips, slips and falls that I didn't realize I was unconsciously looking forward to the next time I get to save her from herself. I loved being her savior. Her hero. Her protector. I realized I missed her when we didn't have class together or when she retreats to her bedroom at night. I missed her when I couldn't see her face all scrunched up, listening intently to the professor's lecture and when she catches me staring at her, blushes a deep red and gives me her innocent and devastatingly lovely smile that sometimes, I would have trouble controlling myself from jumping up and whisking her away to some secluded place.

I opened my eyes as I heard her walk out of her room and knock on my bedroom door. I felt guilty that I had removed her from her bed, especially when she's not feeling so well. I hoped she wouldn't look too far for me and just return to her bed and rest. But apparently, she was intent on looking for me as I heard her trying very hard to quietly walk down the stairs and not fall. I had to choke back a laugh as she did so but stopped altogether as I heard her sniff when she reached the last step and looked around the darkened room. I could not be seen since I was lying down and the only way to tell I was there was to go directly to the couch and stare right into it. She didn't, but she moved towards the recliner seat, simultaneously sobbing and cursing me about being paranoid. Strangely, I couldn't feel any anger. Just remorse and guilt. Lots of guilt. I didn't know whether it was all of her feelings or a mixture of ours.

I watched her sit, put her feet up, put her head on her knees and cry. I stared at her getting stunned and guiltier by the minute as she mumbled, "Stupid, stupid, stupid… Of all the people, it had to be Jasper. It had to be the person you've realized you're freakin' in love with… Stupid, stupid, stupid…Who would do that? Only you, Bella. Way to go… Stupid, stupid, stupid."

Realization dawned on me. She loved me. Not just as a brother. But something more. And her ramblings lead to the answers to my questions. I loved her, too. So very, intensely, passionately much. She was about to stand up when I made a small noise for her to acknowledge my presence. It startled her and as she saw me, she screamed, forcing me to her side and clamp one of my hands to her mouth to prevent her from waking the neighbors.

After a few minutes, I felt it was safe to release my hand from her mouth, for I saw her visibly relaxing. As I did so, she jumped up and turned around to face me, her heart-shaped face furious.

"Why haven't you said anything for the last what, 15 minutes? Do you have any idea how worried I was? Did you have fun watching me almost die of guilt because you were mad at me?" She screamed at me.

It pained me that I had hurt her and I very much wanted to explain myself, but looking at her so mad at me got me all tongue-tied.

"Damn it, Jasper, answer me!" she screamed again. She looked down and started to sob.

I remained rooted to the ground, staring at her. I know she could feel the confusion I felt, but I realized her hurt and anger overpowered my own emotions.

She looked up at me again, her face full of hurt as she realized I had no answer to her questions. With one last sob, she turned around and started towards the stairs.

I couldn't control myself any longer and so I let my instincts take over.

"Bella."

She didn't turn around but she stopped at the foot of the stairs, still looking down.

I walked in front of her but she made no motion to look up at me.

"I'm sorry."

No response.

"Bella, please look at me."

Still no response.

This is killing me. (No pun intended.)

Just as she raised her head and looked up at me to respond, I pulled her closer and kissed her.

And as I kissed her it felt like everything clicked into place and that the only thing to keep it that way was for me to remain her arms and her in mine.

After the initial shock, I was in heaven when I realized that that she was kissing me back.

No, I take that back. This is better than heaven.

All was right with the world as I carried her back to her room and as I watched her finally go to sleep with her arms around my waist, and mine in hers, like it was always meant to be in hers, and as I heard her call my name in her dream and tell me she loves me, and as I kissed her hair and whispered that I loved her more, I know that I would do anything and everything for this clumsy, stubborn human girl who had me mesmerized and entranced even when she's deeply asleep.


	15. Chapter 14

**Hello! I'm sorry this chapter is posted later than what I've promised, because I got caught up by all the holiday frenzy. Add to that, I had midterms. To make up for that, I made this extra long. Haha. I can't work fast enough because I have lots of schoolwork to do. Thank you for the hits and reviews. :)**

**I know it's late, but I still want to greet all of you a "Happy New Year!" :)**

**I'll post the next chapter a little later today. I thought I'd post this even if it's continuation is still in the editing process. I just need a little sleep then I'll be up again to polish the whole thing. **

**Disclaimer: I don't, nor will ever own Twilight, or any of its characters.**

Chapter 14:

Bella's POV

I could feel the heat of the morning sun scorch my skin so I reluctantly opened my eyes.

Big mistake.

A pair of striking, golden eyes were staring right at me.

I closed my eyes and opened them again, only to see the golden eyes fill with amusement.

And then I heard the owner of the eyes say, "Sorry, it's not a dream."

I looked at him, blushing heavier by the second as I recalled what happened last night. And then I got to the rocking to sleep part and smiled at him. I hugged him by the waist and buried my head on his chest. "Good. This one's better than my dream. Although you were the star on that one too."

He chuckled. "I've heard."

How I wish we'd stay like this for the rest of the day.

I grumbled as he let go of me and sat up. He looked back at me and smiled as he said, "I would love to stay like that forever but we do have classes to attend to."

I rolled my eyes but got up soon after.

My first day with Jasper as my boyfriend was pretty much like my first day in Forks. I felt like I was the new girl. Our classmates looked at us with envy. I knew Jasper felt the smugness and at the same time, embarrassment, that I felt every time a girl looked up to check him out and then look defeated as they see Jasper and I holding hands. The smile plastered on his face seemed permanent.

Days went by and soon I grew accustomed to our daily routine. I would wake up in his arms, we'd stop by this fast food chain to get my breakfast, have classes together, have lunch together, wait for him in the library while he has research class and then we'd go to a park or to a place I'd seen in a guide book about Dartmouth or we'd go home and do our work together, until it's late and he'd call for pizza or Chinese food and start on a movie I'd pick

from his DVD collection. It was pretty much clear that we were inseparable and loving it.

* * *

Weekend came and we were planning to stay indoors and have a movie marathon. We planned a quiet weekend just enjoying each other's company.

How very wrong we were.

Early Saturday morning, I woke up with the doorbell ringing. I looked at Jasper, feeling a bit panicky and dreading to ask him who he thinks is outside the door. I very much hoped he wouldn't blurt out the names of his ex-wife and ex-brother-in-law coming for a visit.

He smiled at me and kissed the top of my head. "Don't worry. It's just Emmett and Rose visiting. We better get down and open the door before Emmett gets too excited and impatient and pulls the door apart."

I laughed as I got up. I realized I missed Emmett so much. And Rose, too. I haven't had the chance to update them about me and Jasper's relationship.

"Jasper, should we tell them about us?"

He looked at me while he was fixing my bed. Such a sweet one, my Jasper.

"Yes, I think so. But if you don't want to…"

"Nonsense. I'd be happy to shout it out to them right now if I'm not afraid Rose would rip the door apart and strangle me because I didn't tell her earlier so we could go shopping for clothes that'll surely seduce you."

Jasper laughed and pinched my cheek.

"You're seductive enough even when you're all covered up."

Okay, that made all the blood in my body rush to my face.

The door bell was now being rung every 5 seconds.

"Let's go down before Emmett really does pull the door apart."

True enough, the second we opened the door, a very excited and impatient Emmett looked ready to pounce.

"Took you long enough! Where were you?! Siberia?!"

Then the bone-crushing hug came. "I missed you, Bellypoo!"

Rose pulled us apart before I died for lack of oxygen. She hugged me tightly, though not as tight as Emmett's, but clearly a hug that meant she missed me so much, too.

They brought breakfast for me and while I ate in the living room, they talked about how they were doing in Penn. Apparently, Rose was aiming to be a Dean's Lister while Emmett was finding it hard to understand Physics ("It's not like I was interested about the course in the first place!" He earned a glare and a thump on the back from Rosalie for that one.)

Rose turned to me as I was taking my last slice of pancake.

"So, what's new with you and my dear O.C.-stricken, empath of a brother?"

I nearly choked. Good thing they didn't notice.

"Oh, I…uhm…well, you see…"

Emmett moved closer to look at my face.

"Why are you blushing?"

Rose, who was sitting to my right, looked at me closely and then looked at Jasper (who was looking, and feeling embarrassed but defiant) to her right and then looked back at me with a look of dawning and a bit of smugness.

"Oh Bella, is there something you want to tell me? Perhaps about you and_someone?_" Her tone was dripping with sarcasm and at the same time, elation.

Oh boy.

Emmett looked quizzically at Rose. "Huh?"

Rose just rolled her eyes and continued to stare at my blushing and open-mouthed face.

Jasper looked at me and smiled.

"Emmett, Rose, Bella and I...we're…um…together."

Emmett looked like he'd lost all his money and shook his head.

"Wait..What? WhadoyoumeanTOGETHER?! Like…TOGETHER…TOGETHER?!"

Rose rolled her eyes again, but only after she stopped smirking as she saw my face going redder than ever.

"Emmett, sometimes I wonder why you were ever accepted at Penn when you can't even grasp the simple idea of Bella and Jasper being together." She seemed perfectly fine about it.

Emmett was still silently looking at Jasper, making Jasper raise his eyebrows in question.

"What?!"

Emmett looked at me, still not talking. Sometimes, Emmett can be creepy. Today, he's not just creepy, he's scary.

"Emmett, you're starting to really freak me out."

Rose thumped him on the back for the second time.

"Ow! That hurt, Rosie. What did you do that for?"

"Idiot, you're acting like you're not even happy for these two lovebirds."

"Why would I be happy? They're almost like siblings!"

"Would you rather Bella date a horny college guy and Jasper go out with a tramp?"

"If you put it that way…"

"Emmett."

"Fine. I'm happy that you two are together."

"Emmett, if you're not okay with me and Jasper, it's fine."

"Naw…It's not that I don't want you with him. I think Jasper will take care of you and really be a great boyfriend. It's just that it makes me sad that I won't be the one you'd immediately run to when you're unhappy or scared or worried."

Now Emmett is making me cry.

"You're such a sap, Emmett. Nothing would change between us even if I have a boyfriend."

That seemed to cheer him up. Rose insisted that we all go out to celebrate but when they learned that we were planning to have a movie marathon, they agreed to stay indoors as well. We spent the entire day watching movies of different genres, talking, laughing at Emmett's corny jokes and for me, the occasional eating. It was almost midnight when the last movie, Love Actually, which I picked because it was almost December and it was my favorite Christmas movie, ended. Rose looked at me with a wistful expression.

"Bella, when are we going Christmas shopping?"

"Umm…I haven't really thought about that."

She seemed to think about it but I knew she already had a plan.

"What do you say we go Christmas shopping tomorrow at the mall? We can't do it next weekend 'cause that's the weekend before we go home to Forks and that'll be the time for gift-wrapping, right?"

Wait. It takes a whole weekend to wrap all of Rosalie's gifts?! No way. The total amount of money I intended to spend this Christmas was $400. I thought I would buy something nice but inexpensive from thrift shops or Christmas bazaars. I didn't expect Rosalie to appear and be intent on dragging me to some thousand dollar Christmas shopping!

"Um, actually Rose, I kind of have a tight Christmas budget. I can't really afford all the…"

Jasper shook his head and looked at me.

"Nonsense. Jasper the super is here, don't worry, my dear."

Emmett looked at Jasper before rolling on the ground, almost dying of laughter. As much as I found it sweet, it was also embarrassingly funny to hear Jasper take a jab at rhyming.

"Jasper, take my advice, don't, and I mean DON'T try rhyming again." Rose said, after catching her breath.

"Fine."

I found it cute that Jasper was somewhat disappointed about not being good at rhyming so I decided to make him feel good about it.

"That was really sweet, Jasper, but you know I won't let you spend money on me. And so I decided to make a bargain instead."

"Oookay." Rose seemed skeptical but I smiled reassuringly at her. I was sure my simple rule wouldn't kill her.

Oops. Wrong again.

"WHAAAT?!" She shouted at me after I said the single guideline we would all have to follow in buying our gifts.

"THAT'S NOT EVEN ENOUGH FOR TIPS THIS CHRISTMAS! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BUY FOR $50 PER PERSON? SOCKS?! THAT'S RIDICULOUS! I CAN'T GO OUT AND GIVE _CHEAP_ GIFTS!"

"Rose, chill."

She glared at Emmett but took some deep breaths after. She looked at me with this really innocent smile on her face.

"Bella, honey, sister, the kindest, most understanding bestest best friend in the entire universe, if you really want a limit, at least raise it to $300? Please?"

She looked at me with pleading eyes, but I managed not to be fooled.

"Nope. It stays at $50."

"Okay. $200?"

"No."

"$150?"

"Rosie, no."

"At least $100?"

"No can do."

She sighed.

"Fine."

Jasper smirked at her. She glared at him.

"Don't think you can wiggle your way out of this, Hale. Your girlfriend made this guideline and you're going to have to follow it, too."

"No, I won't. It's just you and Emmett. Right, love?"

I looked at him and smirked.

"What are you talking about? Of course you're going to be a part of this! This will definitely teach you how to spend your money wisely!"

Jasper looked outraged but then he smiled an evil smile that made me suspicious.

"And there will be no cheating!"

Hah! He looked disappointed as I said that. He kissed the top of my head and said,

"Fine. Now you need to rest, for tomorrow, we have an awfully boring day finding ridiculously cheap gifts to give to each other."

I bade goodnight to Emmett and Rosalie, who picked another movie to watch (300) while Jasper carried me to my bedroom, always in bridal style. And always never fails to make me blush. He sat on my bedside chair, looking through magazines while he waited for me to finish cleaning up and getting ready. After putting on my pj's, I went over to him and hugged him.

"Are you mad?" I dug my head deeper into his neck.

"Why should I be?"

"Because I put a limit to your Christmas budget."

He laughed and looked at me.

"You are very silly, you know. That's too petty a reason for me to be angry at you."

I sighed and kissed his cheek, feeling relieved.

He kissed me and tucked me in to bed before putting out the lights and lying down beside me. He pulled me closer to him and whispered what he always whispers to me every night now, and he promised that he would always whisper to me every night before I go to bed.

"Good night, my Bella, sweet dreams. I know that I cannot accompany you to wherever you go when you're asleep but be reassured that the moment you wake up, whether you've been in a good or bad dream, I will be beside you. I will chase away the bad dreams and round up the good ones for you because you mean everything to me and whatever makes you happy, makes me happy as well. I love you, Bella. Sleep well tonight." And then he would kiss me again.

Needless to say, I always have good dreams.

----oOo-----

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of Emmett banging his fists on the door of my room.

"Bella, wake up, Rose is getting all cranky waiting for you and is itching to get to the mall, it's driving me crazy!"

I laughed and started to get up but was blocked by Jasper's long arms. His eyes bore into mine as he continued to lock me down in an embrace.

"Bella, love, what you said last night, that's not true, right? It's just a guide for you and Rose, right?" He had a deep crease on his forehead and a pleading look on his face that I almost didn't want to tell him. But I had to put my foot down especially after all the things he had already bought for me.

"Sorry, love. But it also includes you. Come to think of it, ESPECIALLY you. You're a really big spender."

He sighed dejectedly but looked at me and said, "I only spend so much on people who are worth all the money. And for you, what I've bought isn't even a quarter of what you're worth for me."

I blushed but pulled out of his embrace. "You know, there are many special things that money can't buy or can buy but are not that expensive that'll be worth giving to someone you love."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Right. Fine. And I'm guessing that's what you want us to find today?"

I beamed at him. "Yep."

He kissed the tip of my nose. "Oh, Bella. If it makes you happy, then fine. I'll do it."

I kissed his nose back. "Thank you."

"IF YOU DON'T COME OUT IN 5 MINUTES, ISABELLA SWAN, I AM COMING IN TO GET YOU, AND DRAG YOU STRAIGHT TO MY CAR WITHOUT EVEN GIVING YOU THE CHANCE TO CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES!!!"

After a shower, I went down to eat a really quick breakfast of pancakes made by Jasper, followed by an even faster trip to the mall with Rosalie grumbling at how slow I was. I just laughed at her, realizing I didn't have the heart to be annoyed when she had, although grudgingly, agreed to the $50 limit. After what seemed like 5 minutes, we arrived at the mall. Emmett and Jasper had agreed that they would be going to another mall so that we would not be able to see what we were going to pick for them.

Entering the mall, I felt a spasm of panic as I saw the evil grin on Rosalie's face.

"Oh, Bella, we are going to have sooo much fun!!!"

Save me.

---oOo---

Six hours and many shopping bags later, I was exhausted. Rose insisted we split to buy each other gifts and we would meet up after an hour. I sat down at the fountain in the middle of the mall where we were supposed to meet and looked at my purchases. I still had 20 minutes before Rose arrived and I thought it would be particularly safe to inspect my gifts without Emmett or Jasper finding out. I bought a really colorful sundress that was on sale for Renee, a baseball cap of his favorite team for Charlie, cookbooks on discount for Esme, medical journals that were on discount, too for Carlisle, matching bracelets that I had our names embossed for Rose and me, and a book with video game cheats for Emmett. For Jasper, I bought a picture frame and a scrapbook which I intended to decorate and put our pictures together. Rose arrived 5 minutes early and insisted on treating me to an early dinner before we go home and they drive back to Penn.

It was almost 7 in the evening when we arrived in our flat and I was surprised to see Jasper smiling. I pictured he would be scowling because of the difficulty in finding an inexpensive gift. The moment we entered the room, he immediately went and kissed me and made a motion to relieve me of my shopping bags.

"Uh, Jasper, what are you doing?"

"Taking your things for you?" He looked innocently confused. Too innocent.

"Nice try. But you will be opening your gift on the 24th, just like everyone else."

"Hmf." He pouted.

"And don't try to peek when I'm asleep. I'm putting a lock to my cabinet and I'll be keeping the keys somewhere you can't find it."

"You can't keep that away from me. I've been in this flat longer than you and I know every nook and cranny there is."

"Who says I'll be keeping the keys here?"

Jasper fell silent but didn't reply.

A few hours after, Emmett and Rose bade goodbye and went back to Penn with the promise that they'll pick us up for our return to Forks the weekend after next. Thinking about going back made me all giddy and for a moment, I forgot all about the work I had to do and the gifts I had to wrap. But just like any other dreams, I had to go back to reality and start on my work. Imagine my surprise when I looked and saw my work already done.

"JASPER!!!"

He was in my room in a blink of an eye, looking absolutely worried, I had to hold back a laugh and pretend I was angry.

"Did you or did you do my school work?!" He relaxed and looked at me.

"Did I or did I?" He pretended to think about it.

"Jasper Hale. You will never do that again."

"Aww, don't be such a grouch, love. Think of it as a part of my Christmas gift, especially with such a VERY low limit. Unless you want to change it and I'd gladly stay away from your schoolwork."

"No. I will not change it. You are going to stay away from my work. And to punish you for this one time, you are going to be banned from my room this weekend."

He looked absolutely horrified that I almost wished I could take it back. But I had to. How else was I supposed to do his gift and wrap the other gifts with him by my side?

"Can't I at least tuck you in?"

Aww.

"Of course you can. Okay, let's make an amendment to my punishment. You cannot come in my room this weekend without my express permission. Okay?"

He seemed much happier about that.

"Okay. Now it's not yet weekend so I'm still free to roam your room."

"Right. Now, because I have nothing to do anymore, and as an early punishment, you can tuck me in early. "

"That's not a punishment at all." But he did it anyway.

---oOo---

That weekend, Jasper was true to his word and left me alone. He went out hunting and promised to be back by evening. I spent the entire day inside my room, surrounded by Chinese food take-outs, scrapbooking materials, wrappers, ribbons and scotch tapes. I made a letter to be inserted on the last page of the scrapbook. By the time I had everything finished, I realized it was almost 10. I went out after hiding all the remnants of what I had done and looked for Jasper. I found him in the library, deeply immersed in a book. But when he saw me, he put down the book and hurried over to give me a much longed for kiss. After what seemed like an hour, I broke off and smiled at him.

"I like our non-verbal way of saying hi."

"Me, too. Wait for the "I missed you" part. It's longer 'cause there are more letters."

He smiled at me, making me blush for the millionth time.

"Okay. I'll save that one for bedtime."

And like any other nights, he tucked me in and watched me sleep.

---oOo---

Fast forward to the next weekend.

"BELLAAAA!!!"

I woke up with a start, thinking that Jasper was in trouble. I looked at my side and saw him laughing quietly. He inched forward and kissed my forehead.

"Good morning, love. As you can see, Emmett is quite excited to go home and open presents. Almost too excited." He frowned.

Just then, Emmett banged on my bedroom door.

"Bella, come on, get up, we're going HOOOOME!!!"

An hour later, we were cruising farther from Dartmouth on our way back home to Forks. Because we were taking Emmett's Jeep, he didn't want to have to stop occasionally to get me food so while I was still in the shower, he had McDonald's deliver almost everything from their menu. Because of Emmett's maniac driving, it took less than 2 days to get back home. We arrived at Forks on the morning of the 24th and went straight to the Cullen mansion. Esme and Carlisle were both waiting for us on the porch.

"MOMMY!!!!!"

Emmett was the first to get out of the Jeep and came barreling towards Esme and hugged her in a way that I was sure would be the death of me if I was her.

Esme hugged everyone, saving me, for last.

"Bella. I missed you. How's Dartmouth? I'm sorry we haven't visited, but I promised Carlisle we would go together and he has had a full schedule ever since you all left. I promise we'll visit when you get back."

"It's fine, Esme. Dartmouth is great. Difficult, of course. But it's great."

She led us inside and going in, I dropped my jaw in awe of the Christmas decorations. There was a big, white Christmas tree in the middle of the room and a lot of gifts under it. There were Christmas lights all over the place. In the ceiling, on the walls, even on the railings of the stairs. The decorations on the outside (a life-sized Santa with his sleigh and reindeers and the gingerbread house, and of course, Christmas lights all around the house) were overshadowed by the magnificence of the decorations inside.

"Wow, Esme. This is beautiful."

I knew that if Esme was human, she would have blushed. She beamed.

"Thank you. I had help for the lights on the ceiling, of course."

"Whose?"

"Carlisle's and Charlie's. Which reminds me, you need not go home today because we have invited Charlie for Christmas Eve dinner and he's coming over this afternoon."

"Oh."

Jasper and I were planning to tell Esme and Carlisle about us first but I thought it would be fine if I announce it all together. Or we could tell them now.

"Is there something wrong, Bella?"

Jasper left Carlisle's side and was beside me in a flash, bringing with him waves of worry.

"Are you okay?"

Esme was looking worried and at the same time, looking curiously at Jasper's initial reaction to her question.

"I'm fine. Esme, Carlisle, we have to tell you something. Let's go to the living room."

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

When everyone was seated, I started.

"Okay. See, the thing is…we… that is…I mean… me and Jasper…we're…kind of…"

"Together." Jasper finished for me, looking very relaxed and looking straight at Esme and Carlisle. He sent me a wave of calm which I was grateful for.

Esme and Carlisle looked at us in silence before Carlisle broke into a grin and Esme broke into a sob.

"Well, at least it's not a horny college guy, right, Emmett?" He chuckled.

Esme stood up and hugged me.

"Oh, Bella. I am very happy for you and Jasper. I know Jasper will take care of you very well. I am very glad, really."

And then she turned to Jasper and smiled.

"I knew it. Your reaction earlier gave it away. I knew that if you weren't together yet, you would be. I'm glad you're happy, Jasper. And with Bella." She beamed again.

So, that went quite well. I don't know how well Charlie was going to take it.

---oOo----

Christmas Eve dinner

That night, I had prepared my speech to Charlie and discussed it with Jasper. He seemed to think it was funny that I was practicing what to tell my father. He didn't know that Charlie doesn't know that he and Alice aren't together anymore. He doesn't know that Alice left. And he doesn't know that Alice left WITH Edward. That is going to be a big blow. For a moment, I thought about postponing it till tomorrow but I knew he would have questions if he saw me and Jasper getting cozy.

Charlie arrived at the Cullen house at around 6:30 and thus, prompted Esme to start the Christmas festivities. She had arranged for a quartet to sing Christmas carols while she prepared the Christmas Eve dinner, amazing everyone.

"Whoa. It's almost like Alice hadn't left." Emmett gushed.

Laughter died the instant he said Alice's name and was replaced by tension.

Everyone looked at Jasper, somehow waiting for the waves of pain and fury at hearing his brother-in-law yearning for his ex-wife.

But nothing came. Just a feeling of embarrassment at being looked at by everyone, including a very surprised-looking Charlie.

"What do you mean, Emmett? Is she on vacation or something?" Charlie asked, trying to make sense of what Emmett had said.

"Oh, um…"

Shoot.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Here's the continuation. :)**

**Disclaimer: Twilight characters are Stephenie Meyer's.**

Looong silence.

"She's touring the world with Edward." Rosalie answered all of a sudden.

Charlie looked bewildered. He looked at me for some explanation.

"Dad, don't freak out, ok? There's something we have to tell you."

"Chief Swan…" Jasper started but I cut him off.

"No, Jasper. Let me do this."

Charlie looked at both of us like we were aliens.

"What is going on here?"

Here we go.

"Dad…" Okay, enter the hands clammy and throat drying part.

"See, the thing is…Edward…he…"

"Alice and Edward left Jasper and Bella. Since they were both broken-hearted, they decided to go to the same college so they can look out for each other, and since Jasper had become quite a friend to Bella. What's not part of the plan is them growing to like each other the way they liked their former partners. And now they're together. And inseparable, if I may observe."

I looked around and saw that it was Rose who saved me from my predicament.

Thank god for Rosalie.

I looked up at Charlie, who was startled at this bit of information.

"Oh. Okay."

This is bad. When Charlie says short reactions to "big" issues, the long reactions usually become more explosive than the initial ones.

"Chief Swan…" Jasper started again. Charlie looked at him for a long time.

"Call me Charlie. If it's going to be you with my little girl, might as well be on non-formal terms, right?"

Even Jasper seemed shocked at his calm demeanor.

It was a good thing that Esme came out from the kitchen.

"Christmas dinner is ready!" She said, breaking the awkward atmosphere of the living room.

The dinner went well, with everyone, including a very calm Charlie, trying to make polite conversation. Only Emmett seemed excited. Probably thinking of the gifts he's going to receive.

After dinner, I cornered Charlie on the front porch.

"Dad."

"Bella."

"What do you really think about me and Jasper? Come on, you don't expect me to accept your reaction earlier."

He looked at me again for a very long time. When he explained, then I knew why.

"Bella, it's fine, really. I guess because I've realized that you're happy with him, because if you aren't, then I know you wouldn't have stayed in Dartmouth this long. And I guess for some reason, I feel comfortable with Jasper. I'm at ease when I think that you're with him. So, there." And for a split second, he smiled an embarrassed smile that I knew was one of the major factors why my mom had fallen in love with him before.

"Oh, so…okay." I laughed nervously. I didn't know how to end a conversation such as this.

Just then, Carlisle appeared.

"Charlie! Would you like to have a taste of one of the finest Italian wine? Let's go in."

I let out a sigh of relief and sat down in one of the front porch couches as soon as Charlie disappeared.

"Well, that went well, didn't it?" I looked around to see Jasper closing the front doors as silently as possible and made his way beside my seat.

"Yep. This Christmas couldn't get any better. Everything's going well."

Jasper smiled at me and said, "It's going to get better. Wait and see."

I looked at him expectantly. "Does this have something to do with your gift? I swear, Jasper Hale, if you exceeded the $50 limit, I'll…"

But I didn't get the chance to finish my rant as Jasper pulled me closer to him and kissed me passionately. It was a good thing we were seated for I knew there would be major embarrassment on my part if we were kissing while standing and my knees would (very likely) give way.

He broke off after a while and looked at me, chuckling.

"Why do you feel embarrassed kissing me?"

"Oh, I, um…It's not about the kissing. It's about the possibility of kissing while standing and my legs weakening.'

He laughed loudly, which annoyed me to the point where I was about to leave him, when suddenly Emmett's head popped out from the door and screamed, "ITS ALMOST 12!!EVERYBODY IN THE HALL!!WE'RE ABOUT TO START GIFT-GIVIIIIING!"

And so we followed Emmett to the entrance hall with the large Christmas tree and an assortment of gifts nearly flooding the entire area.

"Since Bella and Charlie are our guests, I think they should be the first to open their presents." announced Carlisle. Everyone agreed, even a suddenly grumpy-looking Emmett.

I made my way towards the Christmas tree and looked for gifts with my presents. The first one I found was a thin looking one from Esme and Carlisle. I gasped as I ripped the present open and found 2 tickets to Italy.

"Carlisle…Esme…" I couldn't talk. Both of them chuckled as I struggled to thank them.

"We thought you and Jasper would want to spend sometime in Italy during spring break."

"You shouldn't have spent this much on me. Me and Jasper as well as Rosalie and Emmett have agreed on a $50 limit, so this is really…" I couldn't get the right words.

"Oh…Rose never told me you all were on a limit." Esme said, surprised.

I looked at Rose, Emmett and Jasper, all of whom suddenly seemed to be avoid my gaze.

"We were. At least, _I _was."

I moved on to my next present, another thin looking one from Rosalie. I had a feeling this was not bought for $50, and I was right.

"Shopping spree in London during spring break?" You've got to be kidding me.

Rose smiled sheepishly. "Looking for $50 gifts was really hard, you know. I did try! But I gave up after 10 minutes. There's just nothing nice to buy for $50!"

Oh well. I guess the best I could hope for was that Emmett, and Jasper especially, didn't go overboard with their presents again.

Emmett was bouncing as I picked up his presents which made me laugh.

"Come on, hurry up Bella, open my gift already!"

Emmett gave me a Sidekick LX!

"Emmett!"

He looked at me with the same expression as Rosalie's earlier.

"I figured you wouldn't be too angry if I didn't follow the limit. And I picked midnight blue 'cause I remember that blue kinda looks nice with you."

I rolled my eyes at him but smiled.

Charlie announced that he had installed me a new computer at home so that was one less present to open.

Which leaves… Jasper's gift.

It was wrapped in a small red and gold box with my name written elegantly on it.

He grinned mischievously as he picked up the gift from under the Christmas tree and gave it to me like an overeager child.

"I followed your rules…"

Inside was a silver necklace we had both seen at a Dartmouth Christmas bazaar. It was plain looking, nothing special. I held it up and saw that it had a pendant…Only it was a car key.

"…Not."

I looked questioningly at him.

"A car, Jasper? A _CAR_?!" I was starting to hyperventilate as I calculated how much the car he bought had cost.

He laughed as he saw me turning red. He sent waves of calm but I shook it off.

"Yes, love, a car. And I picked the one with a 4-star safety rating, so I'm a little bit appeased when you're driving alone. Not that I will ever let you drive alone."

I wanted to reason with him, but since I didn't want to prolong Emmett's agony, I muttered a "We'll talk about this later,_love._" to Jasper. He only chuckled as he nodded.

Charlie opened his presents next. He hugged and thanked me as he saw that I bought him his favorite baseball team's cap. But he was speechless as he saw that Carlisle and Esme had bought him new fishing gear, Rosalie and Emmett had bought him a new TV, and Jasper had given him a TiVo.

"Oh my…uhm…Thank you." He was speechless as he looked at his presents.

"It's no big deal, Charlie. You're family now." Carlisle beamed.

"Yeah, Mr. S." Emmett said.

He laughed. I knew he was restraining his tears from falling but I didn't mention it.

Since Carlisle was the head of the Cullen family, he got to open his presents after Charlie. Which contributed to the impatience and excitement of Emmett. He got a personalized perfume imported from France from Esme, an expensive-looking watch, which I think was full of diamonds from the way it sparkled, from Emmett and Rosalie, an iTouch from Jasper, and fishing gear from Charlie.

Charlie gave his gift after mine with an embarrassed expression.

"Thought I'd give you this, in case you might want to join me on one of my fishing trips."

Carlisle beamed at him.

Esme got a very pretty Harry Winston bracelet from Carlisle (much to the envy of Rose), a Macbook Air from Emmett and Rosalie, an iPod Video with pre-installed complete seasons of Esme's favorite cooking shows from Jasper. What made her sob (or dry sob), was Charlie's gift. It was a picture frame of her and Carlisle. Only it wasn't just one picture. The big picture of them was made up by many different small pictures.

"I had help from Carlisle with that. He provided the pictures and I had it framed." Charlie said sheepishly as she hugged him and kissed Carlisle.

Rose, who was next, screamed and hugged Carlisle and Esme as she saw the two tickets to France they bought for her and Emmett.

"Oh, thank you, thank you! Bellaaaaa! After France and Italy during spring break, we could all go together to London for our shopping spree!"

Oh how I dread spring break. But at least Jasper and Emmett would be going too, so it wasn't going to be that bad.

She kissed Emmett after she got a Tiffany necklace from him, and hugged me as she opened my gift. Jasper gave her the new Motorola Razr2 phone, which made her hug him.

"I wanted this one! Thanks!"

At last, it was Emmett's turn. He had already piled up all his presents and when his time came. He picked my gift first. As soon as he saw what was inside, he screamed and came barreling towards me and engulfed me with a bone-crushing hug.

"Bellaaaaaa!!! ThanksalotIreallywantedthisandthisismyfirstgiftthisyearsoit'sreallyspecialsothankyouuuuu!!!"

Jasper had to force Emmett to let me go as I was almost dying from his hug.

Since Rose had already opened their present from Carlisle and Esme, there were only 2 presents left. One from Rose and one from Jasper. He opened Jasper's first and screamed again as he saw that it was a Nintendo Wii.

"Thanks, man!"

Jasper laughed. "Just don't try to kill Bella with your hugs next time."

Rose gave him a new PSP as he had thrown his old one out of their bedroom window in Penn after losing a game.

Jasper opened his gifts last. As Esme and Carlisle's gift I had already opened, it left him with 2 gifts to open, one coming from Rose and Emmett and the other from me. The first one, from Rosalie and Emmett, was a gift certificate saying that he was entitled to a $5,000 shopping spree at Barnes&Noble whenever he wanted.

"Nice. Thanks."

And so the moment of truth was upon me. I didn't know how he would react to my gift. Would he think I was too cheesy for getting him a picture frame similar to what Esme got from Carlisle and Charlie and a scrapbook full of our pictures together?

He opened my gift slowly, as if taunting me.

"Hurry up, Hale, we haven't got all year to watch you open Bella's present." Rose said impatiently, also curious as to what I bought for Jasper, since I told no one about what my presents were.

He opened the picture frame first. As soon as he saw it, he looked at me and smiled.

"Can I have it hanged by our doorstep? So that everyone can see that Jasper loves Bella and Bella loves Jasper?"

I went beet red as everyone in the room laughed.

He unwrapped the scrapbook next but I stopped him.

"Umm…I think you should save that one for…bedtime."

He looked at me curiously and shrugged.

"Okay."

"Aww, Bella. You're such a funsucker. What's inside the last gift?" Emmett asked.

I laughed at him and said, "It's only for the eyes of whomever it was for."

"You'll tell me, won't you?" Rose asked.

"Not a chance. Maybe next year, when you've forgotten all about it."

"Humph." But I knew they understood.

----oOo-----

After a round of hot chocolates and greeting everyone one last "Merry Christmas!" Me and Charlie headed back home. Jasper cornered me before I left.

"Would you like someone to lull you to sleep on Christmas Eve? And open a Christmas gift before going to bed?" he whispered.

"No thanks." I said, wondering what his reaction might be.

"Well, too bad for you because I'd be in your room earlier than you will be."

"Oh, fine. I guess I could make space for you." I laughed as he looked shocked. "Kidding."

He hugged me. "I'll be there in 10 minutes."

"See you later." After kissing me goodbye, I got to the cruiser and headed home feeling light headed and telling Charlie this was one of the best Christmases ever.

---oOo---

Jasper was not in my room when I arrived home or when I had finished my shower and got ready for bed. He wasn't answering my phone calls. I was about to lose it when he suddenly appeared.

He hugged me and kissed me in such a passion that scared me.

"Is there something wrong, Jasper?"

He looked at me for a long time like he was memorizing the way I looked even in the dark before pulling me closer and buried his face in my hair.

"I knew it. I love you much, much more than I loved her."

I looked up at him with a questioning look. We gazed at each other for a long time before he finally answered.

"Alice called."

I froze.

"It's nothing. She just wanted to greet us merry christmas and that they were fine."

"Oh, right. Of course. What else did she say?"

He looked outside the window as if he didn't want me to see his face as he answered my question.

**A/N: I know, it's another cliffhanger, but I will really try to update sooner, hopefully by this week. And I'll be posting their gifts on my profile also later this week ('cause I like doing this. hahaha.). Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Hey all, here's the continuation. I guess you could call this a "filler" '****cause**** I didn't know what to write to fill the space after ****the Christmas part**** and before the pivotal part I wanted to write.**** And I ha****te to say this, but this is ****the l****ast ha****ppy chapter. You'll find out ****why. ****Hahaha****And oh, the mushy-****ness**** is due to the fact that I just finished watching P.S. I Love You. It didn't really make me cry (ok fine, just the part where Holly sang with only Gerry (in her mind) in the audience)**** but it got me all mushy. ****I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. : )**

**P.S. The gifts I decided not to post anymore, it's up**** to you what you want it to look like. But for Bella's car, I am goin****g to post it in my profile**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight characters. The****y're owned by ****Stephenie**** Meyer.**

I pulled away from his embrace and made him look at me.

"What did she say, Jasper?"

He looked at me and smiled sadly.

"She asked me if I still have a place for her if ever she comes back."

I felt like my insides were squirming.

"Oh."

"I didn't ask her why she asked me that. You know what I told her?"

"What?"

"I told her…" and he pulled me closer so we were face to face.

"…that the place she had left already belonged to someone. And even if she comes back, I just couldn't leave the one who made me whole again. "

He kissed me and whispered…

"I love you too much that even if the most beautiful vampire, human, or alien were to seduce me today, tomorrow or next month I wouldn't even budge. I can never leave, I'm too selfish and in love to leave you."

Now I felt like my insides were melting.

"Jasper…"

"You don't need to say anything, or to tell me you love me back or to assure me that you would do the same for me. I know. "

I smiled at him. "But I want to. Because I want you to know that what you said to Alice? Those might probably be the same words I would give to Edward if he asked me that question. I loved Edward before. He was my world. But he left me. You saved me from breaking down all over again. You might have wondered why I hadn't gone all catatonic after he left, it was because of you. You kept me sane. I wouldn't, couldn't leave you even if they paid me all the money in the world along with the hottest human being there is. For me, you are worth more than that. Much, much more. You are my life now."

He chuckled. "I've heard that line before, but I don't mind. Wow, aren't we in a mood to be mushy tonight?"

"Blame the Christmas spirit."

He grinned nervously, as if remembering something. Oh!

"That reminds me, _love. _Just what kind of car did you buy for me and how much did it cost?"

I raised my eyebrows as if telling him, "Don't-you-dare-say-you-bought-me-an-expensive-and-fancy car-or-I'll-kill-you-AGAIN-even-if-i-just-said-i-love-you".

He smiled guiltily.

"Why don't you go and see? It's in your driveway."

I looked at him suspiciously as we walked down quietly, careful not to wake Charlie.

Lo and behold, my suspicions were right. He had spending issues.

I stood in front of the car for a long time, making no move to scold Jasper because I was too tongue-tied. And partly because despite not wanting a car, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by what he bought me. It was a dark blue car, gleaming elegantly from the moonlight.

"Uh, Bella?" Jasper said.

"What…kind…of car is that?" I spoke slowly, trying to recover from shock as I mentally calculated how much it probably costs.

"It's a BMW 7 sedan. Which I had upgraded to give you maximum safety on the road."

"Right. And just how much did that cost?"

He rolled his eyes.

"Bellaaaa. It's a Christmas gift. You don't ask the person how much he spent for you. Especially if that person doesn't care if he spent every single dollar he has on you. Plus, I feel you like it."

I smiled at him. "Fine. Thank you." I kissed him lightly on the cheek. He knew that I knew this wouldn't be the end of our discussion. This was only the end of our discussion for tonight.

"I think it's time for bed."

-----oOo------

I was still feeling light-headed when I woke up on Christmas morning. Jasper wasn't beside me, but I smelled the distinctly-Jasper-made waffles (somehow, his waffles kind of smell like him) downstairs, so I assumed he was there. Sure enough, he was, with a matching apron that said "Hot Cook" on the front. I laughed, attracting his and Charlie's attention.

"Merry Christmas, Bella." Jasper said, looking like a hot angel while holding a stack of waffles on one hand and a bottle of my favorite maple syrup on the other.

" 'Morning, Bells. You know, Jasper makes the raddest waffles. He came over early this morning to make us his special Christmas waffles." Charlie looked up at me as he took a big bite of his waffle.

"Uh huh. Nice apron, Jasper." I kissed him and Charlie on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas."

I smiled as I joined them in the table and enjoyed the best Christmas morning with the two most important men in my life.

----oOo-----

After breakfast, Jasper had invited me to have Christmas "lunch" with the rest of the Cullens. He had invited Charlie but he declined, his reason being that he had a Christmas fishing get-together with the guys at his station.

As we went out of the house, I turned around to ask him where we were going.

"Home. Where else?"

"Riiight. And we're having Christmas "lunch" of what, fresh deer?"

"You're hurting my feelings, Bella. Where do you think I'm taking you?"

"I don't know! Somewhere! And I'm not moving until you tell me where exactly you're taking me!"

He rolled his eyes.

"You know, for a human, you are undeniably more stubborn than normal. We really are going home. Esme's cooking. I think she hasn't stopped cooking ever since I left home last night. Thanks to your cookbooks."

"Oh. Yeah, I forgot."

"And since none of us would know if what she's cooking is truly edible, she wants you to be there."

"So I'm like the guinea pig in an experiment."

He laughed. "Come on. Emmett wants to play with the Wii with me."

Sure enough, Emmett was itching to play with his Christmas presents that the moment we arrived, he whisked Jasper away from me, leaving me with a still-ecstatic-over-her-presents Rosalie.

"I was thinking maybe we should go to London first, before we separate for France and Italy, what do you think?" she asked me as we entered the house.

"Uh, I think that maybe we should stick with the former plan where we meet up in London after France and Italy." I wanted to spend some time with Jasper before being dragged across London with Rosalie.

"Oh, fine."

Esme had already prepared a sumptuous Christmas lunch that I was sure she forgot that her family doesn't eat human food.

Somebody laughed behind me and I saw it was Jasper, with Emmett trailing behind him with his PSP in hand.

"Don't worry, we won't let you finish them."

"You've got to be kidding me. I'm eating all this by myself?!"

"Naw. 'Course not, Bellypoo. We're sitting with you." Emmett said without taking his eyes off from his PSP.

"Emmett, sitting is kind of different from eating with me."

"Doesn't matter. S'long as you're not alone eating Esme's terrible food."

He picked the wrong moment to say those words for Esme had just entered the dining room bringing with her a large tray of baked macaroni.

"What did you say Emmett? You think my cooking's terrible?" Emmett looked up in horror at Esme.

"Oh, um, I…no... I meant…I didn't…that wasn't…"

But Esme was laughing. "It's fine. Of course my cooking's terrible for you. You're a vampire, dear."

Emmett looked shamed. "I knew that."

"But Bella isn't, so that's why I want you to try some of my cooking, dear. I swear I followed the cookbooks you gave religiously."

I smiled at her. "Of course, Esme."

I stared at the table, overflowing with food and gulped. This was going to be a looong lunch.

---oOo---

After being stuffed by Esme's cooking for almost two hours, which were delicious despite her inability to taste her own cooking, Jasper excused us to go somewhere.

This time I didn't question him even as he led me into his car.

It was a few minutes after, while we were cruising on the freeway, that I asked him.

"Where are we going?"

He snickered.

"Thought you wouldn't ask."

I scowled at him.

"Thought you should have known by now to tell me before I even ask."

"We're going to Seattle."

"And?"

"See the Space Needle."

"And?"

"You want an itinerary? Fine. Pop the surprise, why don't you? Space Needle, dinner, walk around maybe, go home, sleep. For the human, of course. Happy?"

"Dinner where?"

"Space Needle, where else?"

"Okay."

"What? No more?" he asked sarcastically.

"Ha ha."

We arrived at Seattle a little before 4 in the afternoon and thought we would walk around before going up the Observation Deck. It was past 6 that we finally went up and had dinner. As usual, I was the only one eating, although he pretended to drink wine while I ate.

"You know, Cabernet isn't something you waste just to look like you're drinking something."

He grimaced and took a sip.

"Who said I was wasting imported wine?"

We kept up with our light banter all throughout dinner. On our way down to the car, he stopped me before we went into the elevator. He led me back to the Observation Deck and looked out one last time at the Seattle skyline. I knew Jasper wanted me to look at him, but my legs were starting to weaken again at the thought of looking at him. His words last night were still fresh.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?" I was trying so hard to pretend I was etching the Seattle skyline in my mind, I knew I looked stupid.

"Don't be nervous. I'm not hungry, I promise. Even if I were, I promise not to eat you."

I laughed, loosening the tight twists in my stomach.

"Very funny." I said, sarcastically.

"It was! See, it made you loosen up."

I looked at him, trying to etch _his _face, not the Seattle skyline, into my mind.

"Thank you. For this. This is the best Christmas ever."

"It's nothing. It's our first Christmas together and I want it to be special. Just the two of us."

"I wish we would have an eternity to spend Christmas together."

"We will. If that's what you want."

"Of course. So…you don't object if I want to be changed to be one of your kind?"

He looked out of the observation window for a minute.

"I guess not. If that's what you really want. I wouldn't exactly endorse it, because I do want you to enjoy your human life. But to be honest, I'm also afraid that maybe if you were to remain human, I'd lose you in one way or another. You might think it's very selfish of me but I would rather have you be one of us than to worry everyday that I'd lose you because of some trite human thing like an accident or an illness. I can't walk the ends of the earth forever without the girl who makes it alive. Alice could have been that girl before, but somehow, her leaving gave way for another girl who made my existence even better. That's you. I thought that when she left, I would be alone forever because the love we had could be compared to no one, not even Carlisle and Esme's. You made that a lie. You proved to me that being left by the one person I valued most doesn't end everything, it meant that better things would come my way. And you came. You weren't the "better" that had come my way. You were the "best". And with you, I proved that loving after being hurt is better. Our love is strengthened by the fact that we have been hurt and yet we chose to love again. It's not that we wanted a rebound love, it's more of an act showing that we are strong enough to keep on loving. And that sometimes, the best things, the people we are really destined for, arrives after the ones we thought was "the one", leaves us. You are that person for me, Isabella Swan. I'm sure."

He looked at me and chuckled as he saw that there were tears in my eyes.

"Silly, melodramatic human." he said, as he wiped my tears away.

I hugged him as I remembered every mushy thing he said. Mushy they were, but very sweet when you hear it from a vampire who does not speak much but when he does, he says what he feels. And that what makes me cry. Because I knew he meant it.

"That's why I'm doing it, Jasper. Because I love you and I know I want to be with you. I'm sure."

This time, I mustered all the strength and courage I had, and stepped up to kiss him. This seemed to surprise him and as we broke off, he had a huge smile plastered on his face.

"You love me, right?"

I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeaaah?"

"So you won't be mad at me that I brought you something as a last Christmas gift?"

"JASPER!!!"

"It's a small gift, I promise!"

"Ugh!"

But he was smiling this impish smile that made me give up scowling. He was too cute.

"Close your eyes and hold out your arm."

After a few seconds, I could feel he was putting something cold on my wrist that made my heart pound harder than ever.

"Okay. All done."

I opened them and saw a silver bracelet with a single heart shaped locket dangling from under my wrist. I opened it and saw the letter J engraved inside.

"Just so you know that you have my undead heart on your wrist."

Stupid romantic vampire, making me cry twice in one night.

And so ends my Christmas with him whispering sweet nothings to my ear as he watched me sleep when we got home.

----oOo-----

Fast forward to one week before spring break

I sat in front of my computer, thinking what to write next on my English paper when an IM from Jasper made me laugh.

_Jasperlovesbella: _do you like my new id? ; p

_Bellaswan__913: _hahaha. I love it! Oh, wait!

_Jasperlovesbella: _?

_Bellaswan__913__ has signed out_

_Bellalovesjasper__ has signed in_

_Bellalovesjasper: _HAHAHAHA. We match. : )

_Jasperlovesbella: _: )

_Bellalovesjasper: _Like it?

_Jasperlovesbella:_ Yuh huh! ; )

_Bellalovesjasper:_ So, ready for Italy next week?

_Jasperlovesbella: _:(

_Bellalovesjasper:_ Why not? No new clothes to bring? HAHAHA

_Jasperlovesbella: _:(

_Bellalovesjasper: _You're kidding, right?

_Jasperlovesbella:_ Hahaha. Of course.

_Bellalovesjasper: _Whew. Thought you were serious for a moment there. Hahaha.

_Jasperlovesbella: _Have you contacted Rosalie and Emmett yet about how we're flying out?

_Bellalovesjasper: _No need. They called me this morning during my free period to tell us that we're first going home to Forks and spend a day there before flying out.

_Jasperlovesbella: _Right. Okay. Which car are we taking?

_Bellalovesjasper: _Emmett's. He says, and I quote, "The 'Emmettster' will be arriving at exactly 7 in the morning on Saturday, so, if any human is still asleep at the said time on the said day will be risking having a very long scolding from Emmett the Great." Like I'm scared of him. Hahaha.

_Jasperlovesbella: _HAHAHAHA. All right, better set your vampire alarm to 5 in the morning, huh?

_Bellalovesjasper: _what vampire alarm?

_Jasperlovesbella: _rolls eyes

_Bellalovesjasper: _oh! Right. Haha! Fine. Now, I have a paper to finish! Shoo!

_Jasperlovesbella: _:(

_Bellalovesjasper:_ rolls eyes duh, it's not like you can't come over. You're like, across from my room, dummy.

_Jasperlovesbella:_ kidding! Haha. I'll be right over. Just let me finish my lab report.

_Bellalovesjasper: _okay.

_Jasperlovesbella__ has signed out_

---oOo----

FAST FORWARD TO SATURDAY MORNING

Amazingly, Emmett and Rosalie had arrived at exactly 7 in the morning. I had gotten up at 5:30 so I was kinda bored by the time they arrived.

"Took you long enough! I was ready by 6:30!" I pretended to scold a shocked-looking Emmett.

Jasper and Rosalie laughed at his astonishment that I was already packed up and ready to go.

As usual, Emmett filled his 'Emmettster' with fastfood so that we didn't have to stop over on the way to Forks. But we did anyway, for his 'Emmettster' didn't have a portable restroom.

We arrived at the Cullen house at 7 in the evening on Sunday night, tired but still in high spirits, excited to go out and see Carlisle and Esme after a very long 4 months.

Or so I thought.

Sitting in the driveway, next to Carlisle's Mercedes, was a silver Volvo.

The suddenly light and airy atmosphere inside the Jeep had turned silent and heavy.

As we got out of Emmett's car, I saw four silhouettes on the front porch and I could feel my knees weaken and my heart pounding that I had to hold on to Jasper as tight as I can to stop me from falling to the ground. He sent me waves of calm which made me smile at him in gratitude.

"Thanks."

"Anytime." He smiled, but it had not reached his eyes.

As we were nearing the front porch, with all 4 of us standing side by side, Rosalie clutching Emmett's arm and Jasper holding my hand, not talking at all, completely shocked at the silver Volvo in the driveway, and me telling myself that it was just a visitor with a similar car, the silhouettes became clearer, I knew I was clearly dead wrong.

It was Esme who spoke first when we reached the porch, wanting to break the silence. Her voice was straining to be relaxed.

"Welcome back, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Bella dear. Look who's back."

Silence.

_She_ spoke first, trying to sound upbeat. "Hey guys! How's college?"

She looked crestfallen as no one answered her, with everyone still shocked. Rosalie pretended she didn't hear her. She still held a grudge for her sister and brother. Emmett looked at Alice dumbfoundedly. Jasper looked at her with no emotion at all. Carlisle and Esme were both looking at each other, not knowing how to break the tension. I could feel _his_ eyes boring right into me, and probably at mine and Jasper's entwined hands. I kept my face anywhere but near his or Alice's.

_He_ spoke at last, acknowledging everyone although his eyes never left me. "Emmett. Rose. Jasper. Bella. How are you?"

He directed the question more to me than anyone else.

I gripped Jasper's hand as hard as I could.

I gathered up as much courage as I had when I kissed Jasper last Christmas and looked at Edward straight in the eyes, surprising him and everyone else.

"I'm perfect. Surprisingly still whole after you left with your sister. And you?" There was no emotion in my voice. As to why and how I did it, I myself do not know.

Anger and hurt had added to the already heavy atmosphere making the situation even more tensioned.

Somebody better break the silence.

**A/****N I**** know what you're going to say, ****eviiiil**** cliffhanger. ****Hahaha**** I want to make the next chapter really good so please don't worry if I don't post for two weeks. I'm not going to forget about this. : )**


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N: So sorry it's late. I kind of had a writer's block. And also, from now on, this story will be co-written with my friend, Coreen (username: coreen010). Yay!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight characters.**

Chapter 18

Finally, when it was too much, Emmett broke the silence.

"Bella, didn't you say you were hungry right before we entered Forks?"

I looked at him, surprised, but quickly regained my composure.

"Yeah. I forgot. Let's..go in."

I didn't look at Edward again. I knew he knew Emmett was bluffing.

Jasper led me in, with Rosalie still clutching Emmett's arm, not recognizing Alice and Edward's presence, much to the hurt of the two. Carlisle and Esme went in last, not knowing how to sew the rift between their "children".

Upon entering the kitchen, everyone tried to make small talk. Everyone, except Edward. He kept on staring at me like a hawk.

He looked away when Jasper looked at him with a defiant glare and leaned in towards me and whispered, "Are you alright?"

"No. I think I need to go home." There was a flurry of emotions mounting in my throat and waiting to come the moment I get time alone.

I knew Jasper understood, he felt what I was feeling.

"I'll drive you home."

After a quick goodbye to all, without even a glance at the 2 newcomers, we left.

On the way home, Jasper was calm and composed but I could tell that he was seething in anger and frustration. I was still too stunned at the turn of events that I didn't notice we had already arrived home, until Jasper opened the door for me.

"Bella, we're here."

I nodded.

"I'll be back when Charlie's asleep, all right?"

I nodded for the second time that night.

Charlie was asleep on the couch with the TV on when I entered the house, so I kissed him on the cheek to wake him up.

He woke up with a start. "Bella! You're home. How's Dartmouth?"

I smiled. "Fine. Dad, I just arrived. You don't mind if I go to bed already?"

"Oh, okay. Let's talk tomorrow."

Upon reaching my bedroom, I waited for the tears to fall, but surprisingly, nothing happened. I sat at the foot of my bed for a full three minutes trying to assess my feeling s and waiting for the breakdown to start.

_Edward returned,_ I thought, while pulling the fabric off my soft, woolly mattress._ Edward. Edward Cullen. Edward with Alice, his sister. My bestfriend. My boyfriend. Well, at least that's what they were to me._ I waited and waited, but all I got was blank. I didn't feel anything, not even remorse.

I absentmindedly rose up to get a fresh set of clothes and towel. I was about to leave my room when I heard a tiny tapping on my window. I peered outside, saw nothing, and was about to close the door behind me when I heard my windowpane creak and someone mumbling, "Bella, wait."

It was Edward.

I don't know if it was even possible to feel more confused. I stared at him in complete shock, but he just gazed at me intensely as he casually leaned on a tree branch. I went inside the room again and locked the door, even though I heard Charlie enter his room a few minutes before Edward arrived. I rubbed my forehead and gave him a questioning glance. I realized I was holding my breath when I opened my mouth to speak to him and nearly choked.

"Yes, Edward?"

He breathed deeply and stared at me sadly. "Hello, Bella. Can I…can I still come in?"

And with that one question, I was torn. We both know that it was a loaded question. Right now, it wasn't a matter of whether or not I will let him inside my room. It was whether I was willing to welcome him back in my life. I cleared my throat and stared at the clothes I was holding. I smoothed the crease on the oversized shirt and pondered on my situation. He _can_ come in, no doubt. It was just a question of how far I would let him go.

He stared at me expectantly while I was just standing there with my mouth slightly open. I started, "Um, actually…" What? What do I say? Even if he ran away, we were friends before. He took care of me and I loved him. I think I owe him this. Maybe, just maybe, I needed this conversation.

I was about to say yes when thoughts of Jasper came rushing back to me. I loved Edward, but I love Jasper now. It occurred to me that as much as I wanted to hear the root and reason behind all these, I simply do not care anymore. I have Jasper with me, and that is all that matters. It was hard, but I have learned to let go of the past. I have learned to let go of _him_. At least, that's what I think.

"Um…Edward, actually, no. No, you can't. I…I will be having my shower now, if you don't mind. When I come back, I, um, I expect you to be NOT here. Okay? Got that?"

"Okay. To be NOT here," Edward said, and as much as I was trying hard to be serious, I could see the beginnings of a teasing smirk in his face. I looked at him in disbelief. Honestly! I was serious. I rolled my eyes and grabbed the doorknob a bit too forcefully. I was a bit frustrated that Edward couldn't see how much thought I've been putting on each reply I give him. I opened the door wide and started walking vigorously out of the room and towards the bathroom. I don't know if I was imagining it, but I thought I heard Edward snickering softly as I shut the bedroom door.

I took my shower, got dressed, and brushed my teeth uneasily, wondering and half-hoping that Edward left already. I dumped my soiled clothes in the laundry basket and swung my towel on my right shoulder and held it with my hand. I was combing my hair as I got out of the bathroom, thinking of ways on how to drive Edward away if ever he was still in my room. Maybe I could...RRRIIP!

Of course, with all my preoccupation, I accidentally closed the bathroom door with a part of the towel still inside. As to be expected with the innate clumsiness I possess, the next think I know, I was falling on the floor backwards. Great. It was all happening so fast that I just closed my eyes and waited for the painful thud. Only, it didn't happen.

I felt two arms break my fall as I heard Jasper's voice.

"Are you okay, Bella?"

"Am I dead already?"

"No, silly. You can open your eyes now," replied Edward. Shocked, I opened my eyes, only to find Edward's face just inches away from mine. I broke away from him immediately and stood up while muttering thanks. Behind Edward, I could spot Jasper hovering, sporting a l look that I could only describe as a mixture of worry and anger.

**A/N: Yes,I know it's sooo short. Sorry, I'm running low on ideas at the moment. I'm posting the next chapter tomorrow. Thank you for all the reviews. :)**


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**A/N: I'm so sorry it took me more than a month to update. I've been busy with school and I just finished my final exams. You've waited for too long so here's the next chapter. :)**

After a very tense moment, Edward must have felt the jealousy radiating off Jasper that he excused himself, but not without a tiny smirk on his face. Jasper quietly walked me back to my room. He walked towards the window and looked at me, doubt clouding his golden eyes.

"Why was he here?"

"I don't know. He asked if he could come in and I said no and that I didn't want him to be here when I got out from the shower. I didn't know he was still around when I got out. I thought it was you who saved me."

He didn't say anything. He kept staring out from the window, his body still stiff. I sighed.

"Jasper, I really didn't know he was still there."

He looked back at me, relaxing his stance and his golden eyes once more twinkling.

"I know. It's just that I wish I could have gotten here sooner so that I could have been your vampire in shining armor."

I chuckled.

"Well, you are, silly."

He looked at me with a sad smile.

"Not tonight."

"Yes, but…" She didn't finish as Jasper walked towards her and engulfed her in a hug.

"I know, I know. You don't have to explain. I understand. Come, let's get you to bed. You must have been exhausted from all that had happened today."

I was suspicious at his sudden calmness but didn't want to make him any more uncomfortable than earlier so I decided to overlook into it and let him tuck me into bed.

Right before my head hit the pillow, I resolved to clear things out with Edward tomorrow.

JASPER'S POV

I watched her slowly slipping into unconsciousness while still in my arms.

Guilt flooded in.

She apologized for something that was inevitable for Edward.

_I_ hadn't even told her what happened tonight.

**A/N: Before you say, "You EVIL girl! You abandon this story for a month and then come back with a short chapter and with a nasty cliffhanger!", let me say, I am working on the next one and it will hopefully be up by this week. That's a promise that I'm sure to keep since it's summer and nothing's standing in my way (e.g. school).Haha.**


	20. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. As I've said before, the happy chapters are no more. Say hello to the drama chapters. Hahaha. Not to worry, I'll be updating again soon. :)**

"Edward!", I shouted at the top of my voice, arms folded and standing at the front door of the Cullen house.

I had woken up to a guilt-stricken Jasper and I wanted to know the reason why. Obviously, he wouldn't tell me.

Edward came rushing towards me with a concerned look on his face. I hated it.

"What did you do to Jasper?", I accused him.

"What? What are you talking about, Bella? I left both of you last night without even talking to him.", he answered me with a confused look.

I looked at him, examining his expression to see whether he was lying or not.

"Well, something happened. Where's your wife?", I ignored the fact that I had just accused him of something and made no effort to apologize when I saw he was telling the truth.

"She's not my w—", he started.

"Here." Alice came barreling towards me and stopped just beside Edward.

"What did you do to Jasper?", I accused her, not bothering to hide the fact that I was starting to get more irritated and angry by the minute.

She smirked, making me flare at the sight of the two, looking all relaxed and composed when Jasper back home was drenched in guilt.

"Why don't you ask him? I'm sure he would tell his girlfriend.", she had this condescending tone that was very unlike Alice that it made me, for the first time in my life, want to slap her.

"Well, that's the problem now. He wouldn't tell me. And by your smug smile, I'm almost 100 sure you're behind his guilt. Now, tell me!"

Alice looked at me for a second and a smile played on her lips.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Bella."

That did it.

Every bitter and angry feeling I kept inside me when they left rushed out.

"YOU ARE THE BIGGEST LIAR AND TRAITOR I HAVE EVER MET! YOU MADE ME AND JASPER LOOK LIKE A FOOL WHEN YOU LEFT WITH THIS TRAITOR.." pointing at Edward, who grimaced at the furious look I had, "LIKE A PAIR OF LOVESICK COUPLES WHO DON'T KNOW THAT THEY JUST KILLED HALF OF THEIR PARTNER'S LIVES AND YOU DO NOT GET TO GO BACK AND PRETEND LIKE EVERYTHING'S FINE! GET THIS IN YOUR HEAD, I WON'T LET YOU RUIN WHAT WE HAVE PAINSTAKINGLY TRIED TO REBUILD WHEN YOU LEFT!", I screamed at them.

Emmett and Rose were standing at the foot of the stairs, staring at me in awe.

"Wow, Bella. I thought you were over them.", Emmett said.

I glared at him and then to Edward.

I stared at him as I said, with a fierce and final tone in my voice, "I am over Edward. And Jasper is over Alice. The only problem is I'm not sure these two are over us. And that's a pity because I'm not going to allow them to come waltzing back into our lives. They CHEATED, LIED and BETRAYED those who thought they were loved by them. They didn't think about the damage they had done and they have the audacity to stand in front of me now, acting all smug and innocent? I'm all for forgiving, but I'm not sure I can at this point."

Edward and Alice had the sense to hung their heads in disgrace.

"She speaks for both of us.", came a voice from behind me.

Jasper looked at me with a glimmer of pride in his eyes as he took my hand and squeezed it.

I smiled momentarily and then frowned.

There was really something off about him that I couldn't quite place.

I saw him flicker his eyes towards Alice and Alice staring back.

A little too long.

And then it clicked.

Why Jasper was guilty.

Why Alice almost seemed smug.

I looked at Jasper, hiding my pain (which was almost easy, as I had lots of practice before).

"Do you still care for her, Jasper?"

Everyone was shocked at my sudden question.

"Why would you think that, Bella? You know I love you."

"Just answer the question, please."

He sighed.

"Bella, she came to talk to me last night, asking for an apology and I told her I might forgive her but not right now. She said she understood. And then she left. That's all."

I looked at him, expecting to see a sincere face. My heart dropped a thousand degrees.

"Then why is there some tension between you two? And why is it that I feel you're missing something out of your explanation?"

He frowned.

"Bella, have you forgotten--"

Alice sighed.

I turned around to snap at her and tell her to keep her mouth shut because what she would say would definitely be no better than the lies Edward told me before about not leaving me.

Only it was a little too late as she had already spoken.

"We almost kissed."

I looked at her and then turned to Jasper, hoping he would negate what Alice had said.

His feelings turned from shock to defeat to guilt and to sorrow.

"Almost", was all he said, hoping it would ease the pain.

"Almost.", I whispered.

I looked back at all of them, with a look of apology to Esme, Carlisle.

"Have fun in France and London.", I said to Emmett and Rosalie.

Rosalie opened her mouth to protest but Emmett made her stop.

I turned to Jasper one last time before I went back to my truck.

"Please. Don't try to follow me. I need some time alone.", I said.

He stood there like a statue while I moved away from the house, my heart breaking all over again.

_Damn it_.

I was busy wiping my tears to see that my phone was blinking, with Jasper on the calling end.

At the same time, am SUV was furiously blinking its lights in warning.

And then I saw it.

50 feet away from me, was a skidding truck going in my direction.

The last thing I saw before blacking out was a stunning pair of blue eyes pulling me off the ruins of my car and whispering,

"Miss, please don't die."

Ha. We're having opposite thoughts, boy.

And then unconsciousness came over me.


	21. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20:**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight characters. Although the additional character is a figment of my imagination, you are free to use him, just let me know. : )**

**I told you I'd update soon. Haha. This is what happens when you're supposed to be out enjoying the sun and that wonderful season called "summer" and suddenly, IT RAINS! Boo rain, ihateyou.**

**This is for all the reviewers, special mention to those who have wonderful ideas I might just take up in the future. You know who you are. Thank you for taking the time to think about ideas that can help me. They mean quite a lot! And to the rest of readers, silent readers even, THANKS! (I'm in the mood for gratitude because I found out my story got almost 27,000 hits, 300+ reviews and lots more numbers that I won't divulge for fear of being called boastful. Hahaha. But really, thanks! **

**I made friends in , though we haven't seen each other, it's great to have made acquaintances without the bias of making friends because she/he is popular, rich and/or beautiful but because she's good at something and you think you can learn from each other. **

**As you can see, I'm rambling now so I'll just stop. This is what happens when it rains and you're all alone in your house with only an ultra-busy househelp and 3 humungous, not-the-"oh what a cute dog can I pet him"-dogs barking like mad. Thank god for earphones and music.**

**Now I'll really stop rambling so you can get on with the next chapter.**

**Oh! Before that, I do have a question to ask that might change the plot (not the ending, though. That's already been planned.Hahaha). I'm sure all of you are really smart and may have a good guess at what's going to happen next.**

**Should Chris really become a minor character in the story (e.g. be part of Bella's lovelife) or should he remain to be a "guest" character just for this part of the story?**

**The results will help me decide on what to do about him next. But keep in mind that the last decision will still be with me and with what I think would be good. Your opinions would be great help. Thanks!**

**Now, really, on with the story! : )**

I woke up to the rhythmic beating of the heart monitor and the steady wheezing of the air conditioner.

I made a motion to move but I couldn't. I suddenly realized I wasn't alone in the bed.

Sleeping beside me was a guy. I had a hunch this was blue-eyed boy from the day before. Or was it 2 days before?

I poked him gently but he wouldn't budge.

"Hey.", I nudged him.

He tilted his head to see who had woke him up, and upon seeing me awake and staring at him, he jumped off from the bed, looking extremely embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry, the chair is really so hard to sleep on and I haven't slept well since you..when you..you know..so how are you? What's your name? ", he rambled as his face became steadily redder by the minute.

I blushed as I saw him staring at me a little too long. "Isabella Swan. Call me Bella."

He grinned like a little boy.

"I'm Chris. I drove the SUV behind you. So how do you feel now? I'm sorry I haven't contacted your parents yet. I haven't been through your belongings yet."

I smiled at him, liking him by the second. "That's fine. I'm feeling fine. How long have I been out? Did the doctor say when I can go home? What happened?"

He took a seat beside me and began.

" It was lucky you swerved from that rampaging truck or you could have gotten squished. Although you did crash into the sidewalk, the doctor said you just had minor injuries and temporary trauma. I think he said you can be released tomorrow. It's been a day since we got here."

"Oh. What time is it?"

"Nearly 3pm. Are you hungry? I can bring you some food from the canteen. Or I could buy something outside.", he offered me.

I looked at him and smiled. "Thank you, Chris. Even though it isn't your fault, you still had the compassion to bring me here. Thanks. I owe you my life."

He smiled at me. "It's nothing. Now, are you hungry? I know you are. I can almost hear your tummy grumbling, screaming at me to buy you food."

He chuckled as I blushed. "Ha ha. If you must know, I am so famished I can eat 10 cows, 27 sharks and 52 hens."

He left the room with a large grin on his face. I sighed as I stared and examined his back. _Hmm, good posture, nice personality, good heart and definitely good looking. The blue eyes were simply stunning. Oh my god! What am I thinking about?!, _I screamed at myself. _A guy just rescues you from dying on the streets and you start crushing on him?! Great Bella, just what you need now. Another problem._ I thought about what happened yesterday and if any of the Cullens had visited me yet. I thought about Charlie and Renee's reaction to my accident and the possible results of those. I rolled my eyes to no one in particular.

"Are you being possessed?", came a teasing voice in the doorway, taking me out of my thoughts.

"No, I'm hallucinating because I'm hungry." I striked back.

Chris laughed as he entered, bringing with him a large plastic bag that I could smell was full of food.

"How did you get food so fast?", I asked him as I took my first bite of Chinese fried rice and vegetable rolls.

"'Cause I'm sneaky and smart and cunning and charming like that."

"You're not so full of yourself, are you?", I retorted, making him grin.

"Nah. Just teasing. The line wasn't long."

We kept our light banter as we dug into the food he bought.

Chris wasn't so hard to talk to. On the contrary, he was a very good conversationalist. Conversation seemed to flow naturally between us, as if we've been friends forever.

I was leafing through magazines when I remembered about my visitors.

"Hey Chris, has anyone visited me since we got here?"

"Nope. Which reminds me, who do you want me to call to let them know you're alive and not lying in a barn, pecked to death by mutant hens while trying to get away from zombie- Munchkinlanders who were desperate to taste your hair?"

I had to laugh at his wild imagination, momentarily forgetting the pangs of pain at not having _anyone_ visit me. I was sure Alice saw this would happen. Maybe she didn't.

_Or maybe she did and she told everyone but that important someone from the 'everyone' she had told didn't want to see you anymore. _, said an evil part of my brain.

Without noticing, tears started to fall.

Alarmed, Chris got up from his chair and sat beside me in the bed, putting his arms around my shoulders.

"Hey, what's wrong? Is it something I said? I'm sorry if I off--"

I cut him off despite my continuous sobbing.

"No, no, you have done nothing wrong, I swear. It's just that I kind of expected someone to have looked for me already."

I looked at him just as he looked at me with a mixture of pity, anger, even a flash of disappointment.

_Why is he disappointed?_

"Why is that the look on your face?"

He sadly smiled at me as he continued to pat my shoulders.

"It's just that I feel sorry for you because for a really wonderful person like yourself, you have to wait for someone to visit you. You deserve to have a long line of visitors waiting for you even before you wake up. And I think that someone is stupid for not having the brains to look for you."

"And why did you look disappointed?"

He looked down and blushed. "Well, I knew, by the look on your face, that this 'someone' was a guy. I was hoping it was either 'Dad' or 'Aunt' you were looking for, and not 'someone'. I kinda hoped you didn't have a 'someone'."

I blushed as he looked up at me in total embarrassment and honesty.

"Chris, I--"

"Oh you don't have to worry or explain or be uncomfortable around me, Bella. I'm okay with that. I'm glad we're friends and it's too bad we can't be more than that but please keep in mind that that wasn't the main reason I helped you. "

I smiled at him, in awe at this creation of God who seemed like an angel.

"And why did you save me?"

He had this shrewd look that I knew he was coming up with a witty retort.

"'Cause I'm nice and helpful like that. And I have this saving-the-world complex, you know?"

He did this light swagger that cracked me up. He looked bad trying to look haughty.

He joined in the laughter that we didn't realize a visitor was standing in front of the doorway, listening to our entire banter.

Chris noticed him first as he looked up. "Yes?"

I turned to see who had came and turned wide-eyed as I saw a stone-faced Jasper filling up the room with an insane amount of jealousy and anger.

I frowned at him. _The nerve he had to be jealous!_

"I came here to see if my girlfriend was in need of help. I didn't know she had already found someone to take care of her. I should be going, you seem to be having quite a conversation, I wouldn't want to ruin it.", he said, his voice so cold that it brought shivers down my spine. It also did fuel the anger in me.

"Yes, that's right Jasper, I met Chris and I hooked up with him in just a day. Is that what you're thinking?", I said,spitefully.

"Wait, is he the 'someone' you were waiting for to visit?", Chris said as he looked at me then at Jasper.

"He _was."_

Jasper looked surprised. "Bella, I--"

"Save it, Jasper."

"Won't you even let me explain?", he asked, frustration evident in his tone.

I looked at him and sighed. "It's too soon, Jasper. I don't think I can handle it right now."

"Then why were you waiting for me to visit when you don't even want to talk to me?", he demanded, his tone getting more frustrated and desperate by the moment.

This got me fired up. "Don't you get the idea that some girls would like to feel that someone thinks they're important enough to keep track of even when it's 3am or 12noon and wants to be sure that she's safe or she's not lying dead somewhere in Ecuador? I'm one of those girls. Too bad the first thing you thought of was that I was hooking up with Chris to actually notice that I'm feeling lonely without you."

He was speechless, his feelings on haywire. There was a mixture of embarrassment, sorrow, guilt and lots of regret. Although the jealousy was still evident, regret overpowered it by a hundred times.

"I'm tired. I'm going to sleep. Early goodnight, Chris.", I said as I laid down and closed my eyes.

"Early good night, Bella", Chris responded, although a bit too quietly.

It was a miracle I didn't look at Jasper again, for my heart was begging me to look at him again.

When I resolved to open them again, I was met with the sight of an empty doorway.

Ironic, the empty doorway alluded to that feeling in my heart.

_Empty._


	22. Hyperventilation

So sorry, this is not an update. I will update soon, though. I'm sorry I haven't posted for a while(and this goes to those I'm beta-ing, I'm terribly sorry for not going through your stories), I'm clearing things up with my school as I'm planning to shift courses. After that, I will have free time on my hands once again.

Now, the real reason I am posting this is I am hyperventilating. See, earlier, my friend and I decided to go to the local bookstore in front of our University. Just as we entered, BAM! There in the front shelf, just a few meters from the entrance, sat a lone copy of The Host! The Host, people, The Host! At the back part of the bookstore was a table filled with copies of the book. I don't know about this, but is the early releasing of these books allowed? Don't get me wrong, I was absolutely ecstatic when I saw the cover. It took a lot of self-control not to scream right then and there. But is it legal? Haha. Mind you, this country has a lot of Twilighters. Only we remain hidden. But you can see just how many we are by observing how fast copies of the Twilight series disappear days after a fresh stock has been displayed.

Eeeeek. The Philippines has an early release of The Host!! This is a miracle! Aaaaaaah! (So sorry, I cannot keep my euphoria to myself.)

I'll stop writing now.


	23. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. **

I can't sleep. My mind is still reeling from my fight with Jasper. All thoughts seemed to lead to him even with me trying to block his face and his words from my mind.

I can't blame him, though. After all, he said _almost. _He didn't kiss Alice. He _almost _kissed Alice. There's a big difference. I was just overreacting, right?

But the truth of the matter is, I got hurt.

He _promised_ me. I remembered that. He promised me that even if the most beautiful girl in the world would seduce him, he wouldn't even budge.

But this is 100+ year-old soul mate we're talking about.

Apparently, a goddess of beauty and a soul mate's effect on him would be different. Didn't think I'd have to ask him to be specific.

"…are you alright, Bella?"

I focused on a face staring down at me. _Blue eyes._

"Gah!" was all my startled self could reply. Scrambling to get up, I almost hit Chris' jaw if he hadn't backed away.

He chuckled. "I'd take that as a no. And I think I know what's on your mind."

"Hmph."

He looked at me oddly and cleared his throat.

"You know, Bella, from the look on his face, and from the feeling of regret he seemed to give off, he seemed pretty damn sorry for whatever he did. I think you should forgive him."

I didn't know what happened to me but all I can remember was feeling guilty for lashing out at him.

" You don't know what he did so you don't have any damn right to tell me what to do ."

He looked shocked for a moment and then backed away, " Hey hey, no need to be bitchy about it."

I sighed and fell back down on my bed. I was not in the mood for apologies so I didn't say sorry for being nasty.

"What are you still doing here anyway? You weren't the one who almost squished me dead so you can leave whenever you want. I'm not your responsibility."

Oops. Might have been too harsh.

Clearly, he was hurt as his face stiffened and stood up to leave. At the door, he looked back at me and said, "You know, it pays to be more forgiving. Even if you don't say sorry for being anything but nice right now, Bella, I forgive you. Get well soon, Bella and I hope we meet again."

And then he walked away.

"Chris!"

His head peeped at the door.

"I'm sorry for being…not nice. Please stay."

He grinned.

"As I said, you're forgiven. Though I really have to leave. I have to see Elle."

I frowned. "Elle…your sister?"

He chuckled. "Nope. She's actually my version of you. "

"Oh."

He moved closer. " We're actually in a similar situation, you know. She wouldn't forgive me for something I'd done and regretted for so long. For…3 months now, we've been having a cold war. Witnessing what happened to you, and between you and Jasper, I realized I would be forever regretting if I didn't fight for her just as Jasper is fighting for you, for your relationship. And..if I lost her in the way you might have yesterday. I would die, Bella." He looked down and shook his head.

"Well, what are you waiting for?", I asked. He looked up, confused.

"Go get her back!", I slapped him in the shoulder and he kissed my forehead.

"I will. Somehow, I'm thankful for that accident because I got to know you, Bella."

I smiled at him. "All right, all right. Get out now!"

He rumpled my hair. "Don't fall down the stairs often. You take care, okay?"

"Thanks for everything. You take care too. "

And after a bone-crushing hug, he left.

Leaving me, once again, alone.

_Where's Charlie, anyway?_

And then a knock came.

Charlie's head popped. "Bella? Are you awake? I brought dinner."

"Yeah, Dad."

After a little more conversation, everything was quiet once again as Charlie insisted I get more sleep.

Too quiet and too cold.

I closed my eyes and forced myself to sleep and forget about that emptiness creeping upon me as soon as the lights went out.

After only a few hours, I woke up to the freezing cold enveloping my body.

_Wait._ The air conditioner wouldn't be _this_ cold.

I opened my eyes slowly, a stark contrast with the rapid increasing of my heartbeat.

I gasped as once again, a face was staring back at me. _Golden eyes._

"Jasper", I croaked, tears filling my eyes.

His eyes were pools of sorrow and regret as he pulled me closer to him.

"I couldn't rest until I said sorry. I'm so sorry, Bella. Very, very sorry."

I felt the tears pour down my face but I didn't care as I gave him the tightest hug I could muster.

"I'm sorry, too. For everything."

He kissed my hair and whispered, "You don't have to say sorry for anything. I take fault for everything. I love you and only you, Bella. I swear it on my immortal life. I know almost slipping up with Alice is not proving it, but somehow, I'll prove to you that I really do."

And despite the coldness of his body, and the blasting of the air conditioner, all I felt was warmth.

And it felt right.

**A/N: Yes, it's so short. The next chapter will be up next week. Terribly sorry for taking so long, I had minor school problems. :)**


	24. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**Apologies again, went to Macau, didn't bring laptop. : ) It's extra long as some of you have been waiting patiently(?) for the next chapter. Hahaha.**

I woke up to Jasper and Charlie having a conversation.

"So how did you know Bella was hospitalized? I forgot to tell you myself. I'm sorry.", Charlie said, a bit sheepish.

"It's fine, Charlie. When I didn't hear from Bella, I got worried and looked for her. I saw the car wreck and asked where they put the victim. And they pointed me here."

"Oh. Right. And why haven't I seen the rest of the Cullens?"

Jasper stiffened for a moment and then relaxed again.

"Esme will be visiting later with Carlisle. Emmett and Rosalie are in London while Alice and Edward are in France."

It was Charlie's turn to stiffen. "Alice and Edward? They're back?"

"Yes." was all Jasper could reply.

Charlie huffed indignantly and looked over at me.

"Bella! Look who dropped by. I'll be getting you some breakfast. What do you want?"

"Pancakes would be nice."

"Okay. I'll go get some lunch, too. It's almost noon. Be back in a few."

And then he winked at Jasper, who smiled in return.

"How are you feeling?" He moved closer and kissed my forehead.

"You tell me." I teased him.

He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Hmm. I'm guessing…" and he moved closer and closer with his intense gaze at me, making me blush and hyperventilate. "…hot."

And then he moved away and kissed my blushing cheek. "Pretty." He chuckled.

I pouted. "Hmph. You're evil."

And then I remembered what Charlie said. "You left?"

"No. I went to the bathroom when he returned. And then I pretended to arrive when he was settled." He chuckled. "He didn't even notice I was here the whole night."

"Huh."

He frowned. "Any problem?"

"Are Emmett and Rose really in London?"

He looked sad. "Rose was not very happy with what I did. They left shortly after you did. Though I don't know how they didn't see the accident."

"Didn't Alice see it?"

He was scowling now. "Alice and Edward left at the same time Emmett and Rose did. I don't know if she saw it or not. But one thing's for sure, she didn't mention it to me or to Carlisle or to Esme."

I kept silent, thinking about Alice. Whatever happened to the "_I hope that in the future we can at least be friends"_ crap?

"Bella?"

I looked up to see Esme and Carlisle standing in the doorway, with Esme bringing a basket of fruits.

Carlisle, predictably, in doctor mode, moved forward and examined me.

"How are you feeling, Bella?"

I smirked. Twice now, that question was asked.

"I'm fine, Carlisle. The doctor said I could go home this afternoon."

"Oh good."

Why do I get the feeling that they have something else to ask?

"Have you and Jasper patched things up?" Esme asked, a bit nervously.

I smiled. Of course. Trust Esme to be worried about her children.

"A bit, yes."

Esme heaved a sigh of relief.

"So you can still use our gift?"

Huh?

"The trip to Italy, Bella." Jasper answered the question written all over my face.

I smiled at Esme. "Umm, okay."

Esme beamed. "All right, I'll take care of everything so you can go in the morning."

And then Esme excused herself.

Woah. Wait. Back up.

Did she just say we're leaving _in the morning_?

As in less than 24 hours from now?

"Esme is really anxious to redeem ourselves in your eyes, Bella. She wants you to trust us again. Maybe not the entire family, but at least those that have, _ah_, not put doubt in your view of them."

Guilt. Guilt. Guilt.

"Oh, she doesn't have to do that, Carlisle. She hasn't done anything wrong."

"You know Esme."

Then Esme returned.

"Dear, it seems that flights to Italy from the US have been indefinitely cancelled. Luckily, I've made arrangements so you can fly to France and then from there, you can travel by land to Venice. Or you can just stay in Paris. Or you can fly to Paris and then spend a few days there before you go to London to meet with Rose and Emmett. What do you prefer, Bella?"

I regained the use of my open mouth and managed to mutter, "Ah, Paris then London would be fine."

Esme beamed again. "Perfect. Paris and London. You still have a week before school starts and you have to enjoy the remaining days of spring break."

I nodded, my mind still reeling. And I don't know why.

And then. Shit.

"Umm, Alice and Edward are where again?"

Jasper stiffened at the sudden realization of who we might meet when we're in Paris.

"Oh great."

Carlisle tried to inject some logic. "Paris is such a big place. I doubt you'd even see each other's shadows. And there are a lot of hotels in Paris, it'd be such a coincidence that you two would happen to land in the same hotel as theirs."

Right. Right. Good thing Carlisle talks some sense.

Esme and Carlisle left a few minutes before Charlie arrived which left me and Jasper the task of explaining to my overly-protective father that his barely-well daughter will be flying to Paris with her vampire boyfriend.

Charlie's eyes bulged to the size of tennis balls. "Pa..pa..Paris? Like, Eiffel Tower, Paris?"

"Yeah, Dad."

He started taking deep breaths and I turned to Jasper for help who quickly used his powers to calm Charlie enough to talk.

"Are…are you sure you're well enough to travel?"

Jasper answered for me. "I'll make sure she rests as much as she travels around Paris, Charlie."

A few minutes passed more before the redness in Charlie's face disappeared and he looked normal again.

"Well, if Bella thinks she can handle herself well, then fine, I'm permitting her to go. But Jasper, you better not take your eyes off my daughter when you're in Paris, she better not have even the smallest gash on her foot when she returns. Or else!"

Jasper chuckled. "It's a promise, Charlie."

"All right, we better get ready to go home. And pack."

And then Charlie left to get permission to leave the hospital, leaving me with a Jasper staring hard at me.

Cue the blush.

"Do you want me to help you pack?" Jasper said as he moved towards me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Maybe. Maybe not."

And then strong waves of guilt washed over me.

"Hey. Hey. I was just joking. Of course I want you to be with me."

He looked at me in the eye. "I know. But that makes me even more guilty. Because despite my shortcomings, you are still willing to accept me and love me."

I hugged him tighter. "I love you and I know you're sorry. "

"I am going to prove I'm really sorry."

"Uhm hmm."

"I will."

"I know you will. I know you like that."

"Yes, you know me like that."

And he almost crushed me with his hug.

But I don't mind.

I'm too happy, too ecstatic, too excited, to care.

oooOOOooo

The events that passed after that hug seemed all a blur.

From being released from the hospital, to arriving home with Jasper and Charlie watching my every move(as if I'm suddenly going to drop dead at any moment because of a few wounds that were healing surprisingly quickly), to packing with Jasper(who Charlie didn't know had not left when he said he did), to waking up early in the cold arms of my boyfriend, to hurrying to get to the airport with an almost teary-eyed Charlie shouting at the airport gates, "Don't forget my miniature Eiffel tower!", the next thing I know, we're buckled up and preparing for take-off.

Jasper looked at me cheekily. "Are you scared?"

I snorted. "Hah. As if."

And then I felt fear running down my spine.

I slapped Jasper in the arm. "Evil! Evil! Evil!"

He removed his seatbelt and hugged me while chuckling. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it."

"Put your seatbelt back on, you're crazy! What if we crash and you were the only one stupid enough to not put on your seatbelt?"

He laughed at what I said and whispered. "Vampire, remember?"

And then a stewardess passed by and frowned at him, with difficulty, of course.

"Sir, please put your seatbelt on. We're about to take-off."

"I told you so." I smirked at him.

He put his seatbelt on again and kissed me on the cheek. "You can sleep again if you want, it's a rather long and boring flight."

And that's just what I did. Slept for almost 16 hours. Woke up a few times to eat and then slept again.

At last, the plane touched down in Paris late in the evening and as we were in the first class cabin (Esme didn't want anything less than the best), we were the first ones out.

"Hey Jasp, what hotel are we in?" I asked him as we went to get our bags.

"The Ritz." Was his short reply as he stood waiting for our bags.

"Oh. Okay."

"Bella, let Esme be. She's extravagant but not too much." He paused as he bent down and pulled one of his bags from the rotating table.

I snorted.

"What?" He looked at me as he put the bag in our trolley.

"I know where you get your extravagantness from."

He smiled at me as he waited for the rest of our bags.

When we gathered everything, we set out to go to the hotel before starting to walk around Paris.

Arriving at the hotel, the bellboy got our bags as we went in to the check-in counter.

We set out to check our room.

"Room 1801." Jasper told the elevator guy.

The elevator guy nodded and pushed the button pointing upwards.

The elevator to his left made a sound and the elevator pointed them towards the door.

We waited for the people to go out before we entered.

It was almost a minute and the elevator guy looked confused at the people in the elevator who didn't seem to want to get out.

"What's wrong?" I asked the elevator guy.

He shrugged.

I moved forward to look at the people inside the elevator when Jasper stopped me.

"You wouldn't want to do that, Bella."

"Why not?"

"I think we should transfer to Marriott instead."

"What is your problem? I think the Ritz is better than Marriott." And I pushed his arms out of my way.

I moved forward and then stopped.

The persons inside the elevator finally decided to show.

Standing in front of me was an equally-shocked Alice and Edward.

_And Carlisle said we wouldn't even see a damn shadow of these two._

"Fancy seeing both of you here in Paris, Bella. And at the same hotel,too."

I looked back at Jasper.

"I think I'm liking Marriott more now."

I saw Alice smirk out of the corner of my eye.

That touched a nerve.

I looked back at them.

"On the contrary, I think we should stay. There's nothing wrong with Marriott. And if there is, I can handle it."

Alice raised an eyebrow at the hidden message behind my words: _Bring it._

Oh yes.


	25. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters. They are Stephenie Meyer's. Nor do I own the fashion label mentioned. Nor do I own the actor mentioned. Although I terribly, terribly wish I did. Hahaha. I'm very sorry I'm only posting this now, my Internet connection is still on vacation, I'm resorting to spending cash on Starbucks. : (**

"Get out of the way."

Alice couldn't do anything but to move aside and let us pass by.

"Maybe we should spend dinner together tomorrow? Since it's your official first night in Paris?" I heard Edward ask.

You have got to be kidding me. Since when did Edward become daft?

"Sure." Jasper answered.

I turned to Jasper and looked at him with a scowl on my face.

He smiled.

"Alright, we'll see you later." And with that, Jasper led me into the elevator.

I turned to him when the doors closed. Thankfully, we were the only ones inside.

"Have you gone completely insane?" I seethed.

He chuckled in a very insulting way. Ugh.

"Bella, calm down. It's just dinner."

"With Alice_, _your _ex-wife_, and Edward_,_ my _ex-boyfriend_. Or have you forgotten what they are to us?"

My temper wasn't going down anytime soon and he must have felt that as he frowned.

"Bella, are you feeling threatened by Alice and Edward's presence? Because I'm not."

I snorted. "Funny you should say you're not, yet you're the first to slip up. Maybe you should be the one threatened by their presence as I can see how vulnerable you've become with Alice."

Shit. That was kind of a low blow as I know he had already apologized for his slip-ups but I was too incensed that he accepted Edward's dinner invitation.

Naturally, Jasper was hurt and angry.

"How many times do I have to apologize for that, Bella? Do you want me to beg at your feet just for you to forgive and forget? Will you never let me rest until I actually die of guilt and frustration?"

Think of an appropriate response. Think of an appropriate response.

"Nobody dies out of guilt." I muttered.

"Do you want me to be the first?"

I said nothing.

The elevator door opened and we got out.

We were silent as we got into our room, which turned out to be the Presidential Suite.

I took no notice of how grand our room was as I turned around to Jasper.

"Where are we eating tonight anyway? And how do I prepare for the first night in Paris with you, your ex-wife and my daft ex-boyfriend?"I snapped.

"Hotel's having a ball. Wear formal." Was all he could reply as he retreated to the study and sat down.

"Fine. I'm going out, I'll find something to wear so as not to disappoint." I glared one last time at him, who was currently closing his eyes and burying his face in his hands.

Traitor tears make a comeback. Oh joy.

This is turning out to be one _fun _vacation.

Walking around Paris on my own did nothing to clear my mind, although picking a dress for tomorrow's ball did manage to pull me away from my thoughts.

I walked around looking for the perfect dress when this dress displayed outside a department store caught my eye. I entered the store and asked the first sales rep to point me to the store with the dress the mannequin on display had.

My stomach dropped. They led me right to _Vera Wang. _The same dress was displayed inside.

I had enough money to buy it but I didn't think it'd be wise to splurge on one dress when I can buy a cheaper version.

Before I turned my back on the store, a woman approached behind me and asked, "Didn't anything catch your eye?"

"Oh yes, there's one. That dress on display, but I'm afraid I can't take the price."

"Oh, well. You seem like a nice girl. What do you say on borrowing?"

I snorted. "Good one, miss. It's _Vera Wang. _" I told the woman, as if she couldn't read the name of the store.

The woman laughed.

I turned around and then my jaw dropped.

"Dear, I _am _Vera Wang."

Oh.my.god.

15 minutes later, I'm holding the Vera Wang bag so tightly as if my life depended on it.

Maybe there's still some good luck in me. It's not often a fashion designer allows you to borrow her latest creation.

Although it isn't entirely free.

I gulped at the payment she asked.

The first question in my head goes…

_What the hell were you thinking, o clumsy-foot Bella, agreeing to model for Vera Wang's Paris fashion show? _

_Have you gone as completely mental as your deranged vampire of a boyfriend?_

I must have been thinking too much as I jumped so high when a car honked in front of me.

"Stop daydreaming in the middle of the street, miss!" shouted the French cab driver.

"Sorry." I muttered.

"Scared you quite a bit, didn't he?" a friendly voice asked beside me.

I turned to my left and for the second time that night, my jaw dropped.

Standing beside me was this British guy who must have been an actor. His aura was simply hauling in paparazzi.

"Hello, I'm Ben Barnes. You?" he said, extending his hand.

I stared at him like an idiot for a few more seconds before shaking his hands. I noticed he blushed.

"Isabella Swan. Call me Bella."

"Beautiful name. What brings you to Paris, Bella?"

"Oh. I wanted a bit of sight-seeing."

"Do you have a guide? Maybe I can tour you around. I'm pretty familiar with this place."

"She's with me."

I jumped at another voice.

His voice dripping with jealousy, he stood beside me, gripping my shoulders a bit too tightly.

I saw Ben looking curiously at me and gazed at him, sizing him up.

"Hello." Ben greeted him.

Grunt.

"Oh, I should be going. See you around Paris, Bella." And with another smile that would take the breath out of many girls, he left.

I looked straight up at him, hoping he would feel the full force of the wrath in my eyes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, _Edward_?"

**A/N: I'll find a picture of Bella's gown. And I'll post the next one either Saturday or Sunday :)**


	26. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. I'm excited. So I'll stop now and let you get on.**

Back at the hotel…

(Jasper's POV)

It's almost midnight but I couldn't bring myself to get up and turn on the lights. I just sat there thinking about how this vacation was going so far. _Bad._

Somebody's knocking on the door.

"Come in, door's open."

"Jasper?", I heard Alice's voice.

"Alice? What are you doing here? How'd you know our room? Oh, right.", I blabbered, forgetting for a moment the _uniqueness _of my ex-wife.

She laughed.

I remembered once, I thought it was like the tinkling of bells.

Now I thought it was mocking.

"To think that we spent a little less than a century together and for a few months apart you already forget that I can predict the future.", she said as she closed the door behind her and took in the dark room.

I stared at her. And then frowned as I remembered something.

I noticed she tensed up.

"Jazz, I didn't see her getting hit by a truck. I didn't know why, it just didn't."

I smirked at her.

"Of course you didn't, just like you didn't see you and Edward galloping away like some love-sick puppies, with nothing more than a note telling me you were in love more with your brother than with someone you've "spent a little less than a century together"."

She winced at the spite in my voice.

"About that, can we talk?"

"What do you think we're doing?"

She moved closer to me and sat down on the arm of my chair.

"Come on, Jazz. Decent talk, please? For old time's sake?"

She looked at me hopefully and for a moment I felt nostalgic about the moments we had together.

But then I remembered Bella. _My_ Bella.

"No."

"Jazz, it's just a talk. And Bella's fine."

I looked up to her.

"Where is she?"

"I'll bring you to her later. Can we talk, please?"

I sighed.

"Fine. As soon as we finish, you bring me to Bella. _We_ have something to talk about."

"Sure. Now, let's go down to the bar."

"Fine."

I stood up and followed her to the door.

Before reaching the door, I went back to the study and pulled out a pad and pen and wrote down,

"Bella,

In case you get here before I do, I went down to the bar to have a talk with Alice. It's nothing, I promise. We have to talk when you get back.

I'll see you when I return. Sleep well if you decide not to wait up.

Jasper."

I left the note in the bed and went out where Alice was waiting for me.

"Let's go?" She smiled at me.

"Yeah, let's."

I tried to shake off this nagging feeling that she was up to something, as well as that feeling of sneaky-ness she was giving off.

I am determined in proving to Bella that my love for her is strong enough to withstand this…this…_seduction. _Dear god. I hope this isn't what I think it is.

I was too busy thinking about what to tell Bella to notice that Alice was smirking a bit too much beside me.

--oOo--

Back to where Bella is…

(Bella's POV)

"Bella, please, just let me explain everything before you blow out on me again."

I sighed.

"Fine, 20 minutes. Then you have to promise me that we won't be in contact with each other again. Let's just get on with our own separate lives. I'm doing this just out of respect for the time we had together."

He looked pained as I said those words which might have heightened my senses to look that we were standing so closely together. I backed a few steps.

"Your 20 minutes is starting. Talk."

Edward shook his head.

"Bella, do you think I'll let you stand there for 20 minutes just to hear me blabbering? I might be a vampire who stole and stabbed your heart but I haven't forgotten my manners yet. Come, let's go to somewhere you can sit."

I sighed again and followed him. The sooner this was over, the better.

He led me to this quaint little place that had a very cozy atmosphere. I noticed that most of the occupants were couples. I raised my eyebrows at Edward.

"Don't even think about it, Edward."

He chuckled. "Bella."

He led me to the cubicle at the back part of the restaurant.

"So. You can start now."

Edward frowned. "Bella, have I really become so loathsome that you can't wait to get away from me? We didn't enter a restaurant just to talk. What do you want to eat or drink?"

I bit back my retort to his question and asked for a pasta and Coke.

When the food was served, I nodded back at him and said, "Goddamn it, start already. It's almost midnight."

He frowned again. "When did you learn to curse? It doesn't suit you. It's very unfem…"

He stopped as I banged my fist in the table so hard that the couple in the next table looked at us in shock.

"Edward Cullen, I do not need you teach me manners right now. And for your information, I learned to curse when you left. That was all that was left in me when you so hastily departed from my life. Anger. Now if you aren't going to say something of any importance, I might as well leave."

To say the least, Edward was shocked.

"All right. Well, how do I start this? I…well, you know why we left, right…"

I folded my arms and stared at him. "No, really, why? You fell in love with your sister one moment and decided to elope?"

He cringed at the spite in my voice.

"Bella, I'm really, truly sorry about that. But you have to understand, even vampires make mistakes. And…"

"And what Edward?"

"And the biggest mistake I did was to have left you again."

I gulped. Is he implying what I think he was implying?

"And Bella, I realized that an eternity with Alice isn't the same as forever with you."

I stared at him, disbelieving.

"So what are you saying?"

His powerful eyes met mine, and I felt that jolt again. The same one I felt when we were still together.

"I'm saying that I've realized that what we had was stronger than what Alice and I had. What we had was a spur of the moment. Traveling together, we came to a conclusion that though we loved each other, we are not that compatible. And that…we're better off as brother and sister."

He looked down for a moment and then returned his intense gaze at me.

"My feelings have not changed for you, Bella. I'm very, terribly sorry for leaving you. I know that doing this to you twice makes me un-trustworthy, and I deserve the treatment you're giving me now and I'll accept harsher punishment for my mistake, but please, let me back in to your life and I'll spend forever in making it up to you."

My brain just froze. I think my heart did, too. And I think he isn't done yet, as he seemed to struggle for a few moments before he spoke again, this time so quietly yet his voice rang clear in my ears.

"Please come back to me, Bella."

I thought I died when I heard him.

Like I said, this is turning out to be one _fun _vacation.

**A/N: The next chapter will be up by this week. Or if I'm feeling extra hard working, tomorrow. Hahaha. **


	27. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**A/N: I'll make the next one…soon. I'm torn. Bet you know what I'm torn about. Hahaha. Sorry it's late…for the nth time, it's my internet connection. But it's fine now. So I can edit those I'm beta-ing. Terribly sorry. Btw, I'm posting the gown and the rest of her paraphernalia after I post this. :)**

**Had to repost as some of you were not seeing it.(don't know why).**

"Are you insane?" I sputtered at him.

"Bella…" He hung his head.

Not good. Not good. Not good!

"I need to go back to the hotel. Jasper's waiting for me.", I told him after a minute's silence.

"All right."

He wouldn't look at me anymore.

He paid for my almost un-eaten pasta and half-drank Coke and then motioned for me to go out first.

"It's too far from the hotel. Wait here." He motioned again for me to wait by the sidewalk while he disappeared off to somewhere.

I stared off into the darkness, my face bearing no trace of the whirlwind rampaging inside me.

_Did I just imagine the last 30 minutes or did Edward really, really want me back?_

_What do I do? _Of course you stay with Jasper, Isabella Swan.

_Jasper, who can't keep his mouth off his ex-wife? _ He apologized already, Isabella. Why do you have to always bring that up?

_But if he loved you, he should not have any problem when dealing with Alice, right? _Shut up.

_Edward left you for what he thought was for your own good the first time, so you can't really blame him for that. The second time he left he already apologized for. So he and Jasper are kind of even, right? _Shuuut uuup.

_So, the question is, Isabella, who weighs more in your heart now? Edward or Jasper? _ Shut the hell up.

"Are you talking to yourself?", a teasing voice brought me back to the real world.

I looked up and saw Edward leaning on the passenger door of a black Volvo.

I frowned.

"You bought a car in Paris?"

"No, I bought this in Prague."

I snorted. There really is no denying that he is a part of the Cullen family.

He chuckled.

"Bella…" he murmured as he shook his head.

And with him saying my name, I grew nostalgic.

I remember all the time we spent together.

I remember all the words ever spoken. And the words that weren't.

"Let's just go back to the hotel.", I managed to stutter out, my voice breaking.

Edward looked concerned but hesitant as he opened the door for me.

It was the quietest ride I had with him. The tension inside the car was thick, you could have suffocated.

Both of us were trying to look calm when inside, we were a mess.

I knew he was, too. I knew him that well.

As we arrived at the hotel, he gave the keys to the valet and walked me to the lobby.

"Well, I'll be going up now. It was, um, good to see you. Bye.", I hastily said to him, eager to get away.

"So eager to leave me now?" he smiled sadly.

I looked at him. He still looked like a god. But there was something in his eyes. They were dying.

"Yes, I have to do something tomorrow. Or later as it's almost 1 in the morning. Good night." By this time, I was fighting back tears.

"Good night, Bella."

And then for a second, none of us moved.

And then he hugged me.

The tears were streaming now.

_No, no, no, this is wrong. Wrong. Wrong._

"I...this…Edward…no. I have to…" and without finishing the sentence, I disentangled myself from him and half-walked, half-jogged to the elevator.

When the elevator doors finally closed, finally alone, I sank down in a corner and cried.

_--oOo--_

Alice leaned in towards Jasper, making sure that she gets as close to him as possible, but to no avail. Jasper remained rooted to his seat, staring at bowl of nuts on the counter top. Slowly, she leaned her head on his shoulder. Only then did Jasper speak.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't think you can snuggle your way out of this mess you and Edward created."

Alice blinked back at him innocently. "Jazz, what do you think Edward and I are doing? We clearly made a mistake, and so, now, we're trying to patch things up and get things back to the way they were before. You know, all normal, and stuff."

"What are you implying? You think my relationship with Bella now just rooted from revenge? That what we have is just a 'rebound relationship?' You think that by barging into our lives again, things would go 'back to the way they were' in a snap?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"That's it, Alice, if you just asked me to come here just to argue, then I'll…"

A look of panic crossed her perfect face and she said suddenly, "Wait, Jasper. Look, I'm sorry… Let's just…you know, talk."

Jasper felt suspicious, but at the same time, he also felt sincerity from Alice. He noticed the numerous stares of awe they elicited from the crowd and swiftly recoiled.

"Not here. Let's get a private lounge." Alice nodded excitedly in response.

Jasper signaled the head bartender and discreetly showed his transparent credit card. The bartender stared at him in shock for a split second and ordered his assistant to accompany them to the VIP Room.

Alice sunk into the plush seats and looked around at the Ritz executive lounge and sighed.

"I love Paris,truly. Not just because it's the epitome of a fashion-savvy city, but the hotels are just splendid."

Jasper frowned at her. "All right, let's talk."

Alice looked at him straight in the eye.

"Before everything, Jasper, I just want to say that I really am truly sorry of what I did before. It was really a spur of the moment. I see now, well, actually, me and Edward, see now that what we had was really…"

"Twisted?Deranged?Stupid?", Jasper sneered at her.

Alice bent her head.

"I guess I should conclude that Bella was lying before when she said that you two were over us already. It seems to me that you both still have grudges towards us."

Jasper stared hard at Alice and said nothing.

"Jasper, can't you…?"

"No, I can't leave her. I won't. If you have nothing more to say, I'm going."

Jasper stood up to ring the waiter but Alice stopped him.

"I'm not done yet."

"Well, then spit it out. It's almost 1."

Alice took a deep breath and looked down at her hands.

"I had a vision."

Jasper raised his eyebrows.

"Well, what is it?"

Alice stared up at Jasper.

"Bella's going to go back to Edward if he asks him to."

Jasper sat back down, stunned. He couldn't speak for a few minutes. Partly because of the shock, and partly because he was monitoring whether this was a ploy Alice did to make him come back to her. But all he could sense was sincerity. It was either she was telling the truth, or she was a very, very good liar.

Finally, Alice spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Jasper."

Jasper nodded and went to get the bill.

They didn't talk until they said their goodbyes at the elevator.

Jasper made no sound entering their bed room, sure that Bella was already sleeping.

He walked to Bella's side of the bed and made a motion to lay down beside her.

But before he could, he caught sight of the Vera Wang bag.

It was reeking of Edward's smell. He frowned.

As he neared Bella, the smell of his "brother" was almost overpowering the scent of Bella.

He backed away, not believing what he could smell.

He sank down to one of the couches in the living room, and for the first time, he didn't feel anything.


	28. Something

I JUST HAVE TO SAY SOMETHING. (I'm sorry to those who would want this update to be the next chapter but I just have to clear something out.)

This is to clear things out once and for all.

For the second time now,someone sent a nasty comment about this story. I get it that you don't like it and you think that my story is completely impossible. It is. I KNOW. Assuming that YOU are in your right mind, you would think that you'd simply leave my story if you don't like it. NORMAL PEOPLE,YOU AGREE WITH ME ON THIS ONE,RIGHT? But no,you just have to say something like "you are a DISCRASE" "LITERRALY retarded" "you suck at fanfictions". This is the perfect situation where the line, "LOOK WHO'S TALKING!" just hits the right spot. Honey, I'm freaking 19 years old and I'm taking up Creative Writing AND Literature right now (So I guess "LITERRALY retarded" is out of the question now,right?). The purpose of this story and this (if you can't read, it says UNLEASH YOUR IMAGINATION) is to be creative. To be wild with your ideas. To think of something impossible and to try to write it down and make it look real.If you think that something is just completely false, wouldn't you be stunting the growth of imagination?

Another thing,it is such a grand display of cowardice to be writing a comment like that with an ANONYMOUS review. Why, don't you want me to reply directly to you?It's the purpose of your comment,right? For me to reply and say, "Oh I'm so sorry you don't like my story. I'll erase it because out of the 600 reviews, 2 people DON'T LIKE IT. I think you're JUST BETTER THAN WHAT I DO! Forgive me!" People say I'm very blunt when I know I'm in the right. But because I'm thinking you're 11(or maybe 13,I feel kind today,so you're not as immature as I know you are-no offense to my other 11-13 year old readers,as I think you know some of your peers are just like that.May God have mercy on them, right?), I'll tell you this: When you grow up and realize that you've been closed to the endless possibilities you can get from the thousands of writers' ideas from this network, I forgive you for your stupidity.

P.S. If I wasn't as pissed as I am right now, I'd tell you the correct spelling of 'DISCRASE' and 'LITERRALY', but because I am (and I would just love to see the look on your face when you read the correct ones), I'm telling you to "CONSULT A FREAKING DICTIONARY AND GET YOUR GRAMMAR,PUNCTUATION AND SENTENCE CONSTRUCTIONS RIGHT!" And for the love of English, LEARN TO MAKE USE OF THE PERIOD,COMMA AND APOSTROPHE. Nasty comments give me the creeps. But nasty and badly-written comments scare the hell out of me.

TO THE NORMAL PEOPLE OF THE WORLD: I'm terribly sorry for not updating, as some of you know, my country's educational system is different from your's (at least to those in the Western Hemisphere), so by this time, college(especially those in 3rd year) students are in a frenzy to complete requirements before the end of the semester. I'll try to squeeze in writing this story sometime, but if I can't, please know that I'm learning how to write better and I'll make this story my practice story. I'll be back soon. (I'm not going to abandon this story. That would be murder for a writer.) Cheers.

Kim


	29. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Except the plot, which I think isn't even my original idea, but a collection of many different ideas from friends, myself and a few good writers I want to emulate. **

**P.S. If you can't visualize the room (I know I've described it very vaguely) I'll find a picture that closely resembles the image of the room in my mind.**

**Oh, and I'm sorry I haven't been replying to your reviews, my time on the Internet is quite limited as I have to milk my semestral break for all its worth. But please do remember I read them. And I am very grateful to everyone who has taken the time out to write something as short as "Good story!" or something infinitely longer than the aforementioned. Hugs to you and to you and to you! :)**

It's funny when your entire existence as a vampire, you've had the power to control your emotions and other people's as well. It's no one's fault but yours. You just had to be very sensitive to the emotions of other people that it was carried on even when you're not supposed to live anymore.

You have no qualms when it comes to using it for the benefit of your family. But when the time comes that you really need to control your emotions to benefit yourself, the "sensitive" side of you completely hides itself under the side of insurmountable and irrepressible grief. Too much grief almost instantaneously wakes up the sleeping people of your hotel floor, wondering where their sudden severe depression was coming from.

Nothing could be a truer example than the sleeping girl I am currently in the room with.

Bella woke up to the heavy feeling that she was sure was coming from me.

"Jasper?", she whispered, her eyes, still heavy with sleep, slowly adjusting to the light of the room, or lack thereof.

"Hmm."

She opened her bedside lamp and frowned as she saw the crease on my forehead.

"What's wrong?" She moved slowly to the living room where I was slouched on the couch. She was a bit scared coming near, suspicious of why I was feeling the way I was, and scared of what I could do, in case I was hungry.

The idea fired me up. So was she still scared of me after all the time we've spent together? Could she not see that the very fact that Alice made no impact on me anymore after her "revelation" of what she had seen, showed how much I really value her?

"Jasper?" She prompted. I realized she was sitting on my lap and staring at me with her arms around my neck.

"Nothing."

Her frown deepened.

"Don't lie. I bet the entire floor of this hotel is feeling the exact same thing."

"Guess then."

Her face fell.

"Does this have something to do with Alice?"

It was my turn to frown.

"Alice's value to me is not even a quarter of how much I value you. Especially now."

"What are you trying to say? Did she see something about us?"

My lips thinned as I felt her suddenly go rigid. I felt the panic that aroused from her chest and the sudden, speedy beating of her heart, confirming my suspicion.

"You tell me why."

She stood up and sat beside me on the couch and started fiddling with the ribbons on the couch pillow.

"Jasper. Please. Don't start with your jealous streaks again."

But I know she knows that I know of her and Edward.

"Bella. Please be honest with me. I will disregard Edward's unwelcome smell in this room in exchange for your telling the truth."

Bella looked up at me and with her suddenly narrowed and blazing eyes, said,

"Nothing happened, okay? He wanted me back but I refused. He made me reminisce the times we spent together, and yes, that made me nostalgic. But then I remembered you, and I felt that being with Edward again wouldn't be half as happy as I am with you. But now that you're always insinuating that I might turn my back on you anytime is making me think that your trust in me is debatable!"

I stared at her, my grim face still unwavering.

"Explain the smell."

Her posture relaxed, a sigh escaped her lips as she slouched down and closed her eyes.

"He hugged me before we parted. I couldn't do anything to stop him. So I let him. That was all. I promise."

She stared up again at me with eyes that begged for understanding.

"I am in a dilemma, Jasper. I know this will be hard for you to understand but please try."

If there was any more way to get my throat drier than this, it would be nothing. Dilemma.

"I'll try."

"I'd really like to try and patch the rift between us and Alice and Edward."

I stared at her, this time my face could not hide the surprise. She was quick to explain.

"Since we both have no feelings for them anymore, and to prove to them and to ourselves that we have moved on, and that we cannot be pulled apart, then why don't we try making friends with them again? I don't mean to put things back to the way they were, but to slowly make our way to accommodate them even in the least possible way."

I couldn't tell her that I have no doubt in her sincerity. I doubt Edward's and Alice's.

She moved towards me and placed her head on my shoulders. And just like some love-sick vampire, I acted like what actors do in romantic movies. I placed my arms around her and kissed her hair.

"Okay."

She hugged me and I felt her smile in my chest. The happiness was a little less enthusiastic than average, but it was there.

I controlled my own emotions.

---oOo---

She fell asleep with me as her pillow. It was 7am when I made a rouse to wake her up.

"Hmmmmfph." She groaned as she made a motion to snuggle into my chest.

"Bella. It's almost 8.", I said, stroking her hair.

Upon hearing the word "8", she looked up at me and at the digital clock near the bed.

Her eyes widened and she jumped out of the couch and ran to the bathroom.

"I have to be at Vera's at half past 8!"

Confusion filled the room and I didn't need to ask why as she could have easily felt it.

"In exchange for that gown I have to wear tonight, Vera made a deal with me that I have to model some of her clothes at the Paris Fashion Week around lunch today."

I laughed out loud as the idea of a clumsy-Bella walking down the catwalk came to mind.

"Shut up, Jasper! I know what you're feeling! If you try anything funny that will make me lose my concentration in walking, I swear you won't feel anything for the next three months except pain, pain and more pain!"

I bit back a snort, thinking that she didn't need to tell me that as I was already experiencing it even without her announcement. And so with great effort, I tried to feel happy for her. I "summoned" all the happy memories in me to make her think I find her catwalking funny.

"Stop that! It's not funny when you're the one who has to suffer all the primping and the fussing and the 4-inch heels!"

"4-inch heels? Surely not! You must be joking! How preposterous! Come, I shall free you from your bond with that Vera Wang!" I tried to console her with my pathetic, medieval humor, but apparently, she was really nervous about that.

Hurrying out of the bathroom only in her bathrobe and her wet hair, she glared at me.

"I am dead serious, Hale. Now if you won't calm me down, I'll… I'll…" Bella seemed to freeze up as she realized the implication of her words.

And suddenly, cold air seemed to flow in to the room, although no one had turned the cooler up. I stared at her, my thoughts screaming, "Look at me!"

"What? You'll go look for someone who'll cuddle you all the time and won't tease you or make fun of you? Someone like who? Someone you used to know? Won't you tell me? Then maybe I can personally fetch him for you."

She sighed as she turned her back on me and proceeded to get dressed at top speed.

"Jasper, our talk last night was okay, was it not? Everything went well, right? Now,why, merely a few hours after that talk, are we having this argument again? When will you ever stop hinting about Edward and me?" She said, her voice getting louder by the word. I could feel the anger bubbling in her chest, ready to pour out of the blue sweater she had just put on.

Oh. The blue sweater Edward loved on her.

Pain. Pain. Pain. Okay, control.

"I'll stop when you stop hinting that Edward is better than I am. I'll stop when you stop telling me through your actions that Edward still weighs more for you than I do."

She faced me and for the first time, I saw her from a completely different light. She was furious, guilty, ashamed and frustrated all at the same time. But her pain was less harsh than what I felt. Realization. The dawning of acceptance as she asked me,

"Why? Are you not up for a little healthy competition?"

I remained calm as I crossed my legs and entangled my fingers together.

I remained motionless for a minute as I calculated the things I am about to say, the words that will be the result of the many things that happened, of the many revelations I have discovered, and the possible threats to my sanity.

"Well?" I heard her say. From the corner of my eyes, I could see her almost motionless ,too. Her hands were on her waist and she seemed a little tense, perhaps, she knew whatever I was about to say would certainly be of severe gravity and could either cement or strain our relationship.

I looked up at her, my eyes gazed at her, from her warm brown eyes which captivated me so much, to her nose, lips, to her jaw line, to the mass of brown that was her crowning glory and which I always loved to bury my face in, to her hands which I held for so long and would feel empty without in my own.

I looked down again as I could no longer bear to control my pain.

Conflicted emotions are evil. Conflicted and influenced emotions are the bane of my existence.

But with every time I see her and know that she is mine, at least for now, I seem to feel a little less burdened by my gift, and more than contented that she comes back to me and she fights for me, cares for me, loves me. Me. Not Edward. Me. _At least for now._

I looked at her straight in the eye and vowed,

"I am up for a little competition. But I will raise a white flag when I can prove that competition had been won a long time before it even started."

I stood up and motioned to the door. I looked back and saw Bella still staring at me, her jaw propped open by some invisible force. I could see beads of tears forming at hyper-speed at the corner of her eyes.

I removed my gaze from her accusing stare, for I could no longer bear an overload of emotions. And it's not even 10 in the morning yet.

"Now, let's go to that fashion show of yours."

She nodded, still dumbfounded at my indirect accusation.

As we walked towards the elevator and on to the waiting car to take us to her show, my mind was somewhere else.

Later tonight, something would change. I know she could feel it too. There was apprehension, tension, guilt, desperation and grief written all over her face and ebbing out of her system.

Hopefully, all hell would not break loose.

**A/N: I know the pacing is kind of slow, but let me just tweak this story a little, the next chapter should be quite at the normal pace again. **


	30. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**Disclaimer: Do not own anything. Although I very much wish to own Jackson Rathbone in the future.**

**Yes, I know it's been more than a month. Hihi. I'll keep this short. Enjoy.**

**1. If you've noticed, I change POV's all the time. :D**

**2. I apologize to those who are familiar with what happens backstage in a fashion show. What you are about to read will be extremely Neanderthal in description. :D **

**3. Pictures will be posted in my profile.**

**Okay, shutting up now.**

**---oOo---**

I used to pride myself as being honest and true to my words.

Ever since I was little, I had a habit of looking down on anyone who couldn't stay true to their promises.

Seems like karma caught up with me.

Now I feel like a hypocrite.

Everything I've said. Everything I've shown. Everything he'd shown. Everything he'd said.

Everything was gray. Nothing was clear anymore.

The show's hairdresser tugged at my hair, bringing me back to the impending doom that was Vera Wang's Paris fashion show.

"Sorry.", the red-haired stylist with a large name tag that said "Geneva" smiled at me. "You seem to be out of your momentum. What's the matter? First time on the runway?"

I nodded, not having the verbal ability to talk coherently for more than 5 words to explain why I am in this predicament. My throat went dry as I remembered the silence and the tension inside Jasper's car(He had rented one that looked similar to his car back in Dartmouth.) I grimaced as the pulsating waves of pain came back to haunt me at the most inappropriate time.

"Oh! Are you Isabella? Vera's new find?"

I looked at her, startled, even though she had spoken not too long ago. "Yes. Why?"

"Oh, she picks really well. I suppose you only have to walk the runway twice."

I lightened up considerably. Now that was one thing less to worry about.

"Really? So I only have to go out there twice?"

Geneva smiled.

"Yes, but you are going to be wearing two of her favorite designs. I think one would be similar to the dress she supposedly lent you? And the other one I think would be the evening gown centerpiece for the night."

I groaned out loud. Not good. Not good at all.

She laughed while she curled a few strands of my hair and made it into soft waves that cascaded down from my shoulders.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fantastic."

"Oh, you don't know how clumsy I am. I can't even walk on straight ground without having to fall at least once. And now I have to wear heels!"

Geneva turned to look at me and frowned a bit.

"Oh, well. In that case, we have to bring out our secret weapon."

I gulped.

"Aaaand that's?"

" Oh, honey. It's nothing to be afraid of. It's just flats."'

I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Your dresses should be long enough to cover the fact that you're not wearing Wang heels."

"Thanks a lot. You're a lifesaver."

"No prob. I think you're up in 20 minutes so you better put on the dress and come back to me so we can get your flats on and finish up on your hair and make-up."

I walked out of the tiny cubicle and for a moment, I completely forgot about my soon-to-be-if-not-possibly-already-conflicted life.

It was a jungle. A very modern jungle.

Funky-looking make-up artists were busy painting the faces of dozens of snobby looking models who were busy chatting away on their phones or hastily putting on Vera's designs all the while trying not to trip on the many wires(or on the heels they wore) and thingamajigs littering the floor, cramping up the already chaotic backstage.

I walked back inside her cubicle 5 minutes later, clutching a purple gown that was similar to the one I had "borrowed" from Vera. Geneva was waiting impatiently.

"Okay, so apparently we're down to 10 minutes. Hurry and go put on that dress. I'll get your flats."

I tried to stop myself from bursting into tears of panic as I put on the gown as carefully as I could while waiting for Geneva to get back.

"Here. Put this on and then come out as soon as you can to the front door. Wait for your call."

And again, I had to keep looking as if I was cool, calm and relaxed as I put on the purple patent flats she "borrowed" from the stylists while she finished her work on my hair.

I wiped my sweaty hands on the sides of the gown, not caring whether I soiled them with my perspiration or not. I had more pressing matters to take care of. Like how to walk in a straight line in front of the international press!

"Hey Bella."

I turned back and saw Vera, smiling at me, not oblivious to the fact that I was this close to backing out.

"I take it that this is your first time on the runway, right? Well, you can do it. Good luck. With your posture, and with a little bit of self confidence, I'm sure you'll blow them all away."

She smiled kindly at me before moving on to have another pep talk with another model.

I watched her as she roamed through the entire crowd, fixing some dresses, making small talk with models and stylists alike, scanning the crowd, checking the line-up like the seasoned designer she was.

The director (or whatever was called for the man(?) who calls out the models) shouted for the models to line up according to the list he was calling out.

"…Alessandra and then Bella. And then Kristina. Then we have the intermission before we bring out the centerpieces."

My throat had gone dry again, but this time, Jasper and the whole Edward-Alice fiasco was a teensy bit far from my mind. I tried hard not to think that Jasper was somewhere in the crowd. And I had a nagging suspicion that Edward was there, too. I had no doubts that Alice would be in the front row.

The funky music started and the girls who were still primping suddenly grew extra inches (in my opinion) and then suddenly looked very regal.

My confidence shrank even more as I noted that I was the shortest in the group.

Jasper would make me feel fine.

Oh wait. I couldn't be so sure about that right now.

Somehow, the place got colder with that thought.

I summoned all the energy I had not to break down as I neared the door to the runway.

I started counting the dull thud of my heart as I waited for my doom, hoping it would put me into a miraculous straight-walking trance.

Funny, the thud became painful as I recognized its presence.

"Bella, you're next."

I looked up at the lanky man with despair and fear in my eyes.

He smiled and nodded encouragingly towards the door.

"Go, sweetheart. You can do it. Blow their brains out."

I smiled and took a deep breath before I stepped into the bright room.

---oOo---

The first thing that hit me was the flashing of cameras from different parts of the room.

I had to fight from raising my arms to shield my eyes from the glare.

"Move!" I heard someone behind me whisper.

I started to walk slowly down the seemingly endless walkway, concentrating on pulling my feet in front of the other, without tripping down, all the while staring at the floor a few feet in front of me.

Reaching the end of the stage, I looked up and around, having mustered enough courage to look at the audience in the eye.

Right smack in the middle of the audience was Edward and Alice. Alice looked indifferently at me, and then continued to scrutinize the dress I was wearing before moving on to the model presumably a few feet away from me.

Edward, on the other hand, kept his eyes focused on me. He grinned when he saw that I was staring at him.

I stood frozen for a split second before returning his smile with a slight crease on my forehead, an act which was open to public scrutiny as everyone's attention was focused on the models.

Me!

Oh. And then I remembered I was taking a bit too long at the center.

And so with a sudden burst of the confidence(I had attributed it to the fact that Vera and I both liked this particular dress, which I wanted to wear, and which she had as one of her favorites. Apparently, my attribution was about to be proven wrong.), I turned to give the audience a full view of the entire gown.

With more courage this time, I smiled for the press before I turned back.

Another split second before I turned back, I saw Jasper standing behind the line of photographers at the back of the VIP chairs.

He looked at me with a smile I knew was causing him pain before glaring at the place I knew Edward and Alice were seated. I could not really see his face, what with all the flashes coming from the cameras, but everyone could definitely feel that there were bouts of extreme anticipation and dread in the cramped tent of the Vera Wang fashion show.

I did not know what was going to happen at dinner later.

The pain returned as I carefully walked my way to the exit.

Geneva greeted me as soon as I stepped into the backstage.

"You didn't fall, did you?" She asked, part of her joking, the other part worried.

I smiled slightly at her as she began to help me take off the dress. "Nope. All is well. With Round 1."

Geneva cleared her throat as she put the gown back into the clothes rack and expertly maneuvered her hands through the clothes to get my next and last dress.

She pulled out a short purple cocktail dress and looked at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were assigned the cocktail dress centerpiece. You will have to wear heels this time because there won't be something to cover your feet."

I gulped as she took out a box under the clothes rack which revealed bright purple pumps that I was supposed to wear.

I looked at Geneva and smiled unconvincingly, my dread showing. She returned it with a sympathetic gaze.

"Well, look on the bright side. You get to take home these pumps and the brown counterpart of this dress."

I looked at the brown one and thought that it would look well with the Jimmy Choos Jasper bought me before.

Well, that's a consolation.

"Hurry, hurry, girls. We have 5 minutes before the start of the second half.", the director said, while navigating his way through the fashion jungle.

This time, with a little more bravado (although there was the slight disadvantage of 3 inch heels), I walked out into the runway with my head held high.

I was determined to make this my best (and last!) catwalk.

Without looking at anyone in particular(I focused on the white walls that encircled the tent), I tried to glide through the runway as gracefully as I could.

And with a flourish, I stopped at the end of the runway and looked dead straight at Alice as I twirled in my little purple dress and smiled at the cameras.

Before I turned back, I scanned again where I last saw Jasper and noticed that he was staring straight at me, but not at me. He looked like he was thinking about something very hard.

When he realized that I was staring at him(this was the part where I was posing at every angle for the cameras-I had seen some fashion shows on TV-), he locked his eyes with me.

His expression had not changed even when I had shown my hostility to what was possibly happening in the audience (3 of the guests, to be exact.)

Alice was looking murderous. (No idea why.)

Edward was looking both dazed and troubled. (Again, no idea.)

Jasper looked pained and guilty.

As I turned back and walked towards the exit, I could feel the anger that seemed to bubble out of nowhere.

I hurried towards the door from which I came from, desperately wishing it was that easy to run away from all the drama.

Stepping into the backstage, I heaved a big sigh of relief.

Geneva was sitting in my cubicle when I entered.

She turned to look at me and grinned.

"I take it that it went well even with the heels?"

I nodded. "Thanks a lot, Geneva."

"No problem. Your take home dress is inside that white bag and you can put those pumps in there as well."

I nodded as she bustled around to help me take off the dress and some of my make-up.

Half an hour later, I was back in my comfortable jeans and blue sweater (which reminded me again of what was waiting for me outside), clutching a big white paper bag that had 'Vera Wang' printed across it.

I looked around for Vera but gave up after seeing the chaos of an after-the-fashion-show backstage.

I turned back to Geneva. "Hey, can you tell Vera I said thank you for the free dress and pumps. And that I'll return the other dress tomorrow?"

"Sure thing. Are you leaving already?"

"Yeah, I have to…go somewhere later and I have to prepare..so, yeah."

Geneva grinned. "Date?"

I smiled politely as I waved her goodbye for I did not know how to address dinner tonight.

I pushed open the door that leads to the guest's entrance.

For a moment I thought I made a mistake and went out the wrong way, back into the runway.

But then, I recognized that these paparazzi were waiting for the celebrities to mingle with Vera before the after-party.

I swiftly moved past the hordes of cameramen until I reached the front door that lead to the main entrance.

Just as swiftly as I jogged past the camera people, I slowed down to a halt as I saw Edward waiting for me, a bouquet of blood red tulips in hand.

"You were perfect, Bella." He said as he offered the bouquet to me.

I stared at him, surprised at his confidence. Was this the Edward I knew of? Someone who would try to get back with an ex even if they're already attached? Is this how far he would go to get me back?

I shuddered at the little voice inside my head that whispered, "Are you sure your string's attached to Jasper still?"

"I…I can't…I can't I… I can't accept that." I finished quite lamely, shame threatened to show in my face and so I looked down, knowing that somewhere, Jasper was near and he could feel the fluster and embarrassment I felt with Edward around, and the pain I knew I was causing him. He knew that I knew that he knew what I was feeling. (Yes, you get that.)

"What's wrong? Is he not up for some healthy competition?"

And again, this was spoken not to spite but to challenge. In Edward's voice, one cannot help but not crucify him for his demeanor.

I guess that was one advantage of looking like a Greek god.

"Accept the flowers, Bella."

This time, the voice was no longer that of a Greek god.

It was the voice of a man in pain. Of a man about to give up hope, but not just yet.

"Jasper!"

Alice, who had been quiet the entire time, perked up when she saw Jasper join the "crowd".

There was an awkward pause as I gaped at Jasper, who was staring defiantly at Edward, who was staring back at him.

Alice cleared her throat.

"Look, it's almost noon. Why don't we go our separate ways and prepare for our dinner date tonight? We'll meet you around 8 at the hotel lobby."

No one spoke. We merely nodded, knowing that dinner would be a momentous affair.

It would be the 'make or break event' of the decade.

---oOo---

Edward stepped back and lead Alice away with a brief nod to Jasper and a "See you later, Bella. Nice sweater." to me. (I knew, with that last comment, that he was aiming it more for Jasper than for me.)

A few minutes after they pushed themselves out of the Vera Wang tent, people were piling out into the lobby and so Jasper led me out into the street to his parked car.

By this time, my heart was pounding so hard, I knew Jasper was pretending not to feel my anxiety.

Getting in the car, there was the same awkward and painful silence as he revved up the engine and started to glide towards the hotel.

After a few minutes, I saw his shoulders slump.

"What now, Bella?"

I could not look at him.

I needed to think.


	31. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**I'm sorry it took so very very (very…) long. I'd give you the reason why but it's so lame I won't bother giving it. Hah.**

**Here goes. **

**Oh,I'm sorry about not replying to all your reviews for the previous chapter, I did read them all and I am giving everyone of you (you know who you are) an extra long virtual hug, especially to anonymous reviewers who i can't reply to even if i tried! :)  
**

**Extra special shout out to the people who pm'ed because of their extra love. Another extra long hug!  
**

**It's summer now, and despite my summer classes, I will go back to finishing this.**

**Oh, and there's one short, short line there that might lead you to realize what is really happening. :D**

**-oOo-**

Everything was an unimportant blur to me as we drove back to the hotel. Everything except the fact that Jasper looked ready to kill the next person who would cross his path.

He had haphazardly stopped the rented car in front of the hotel entrance, making the valet driver jump in surprise at the sudden screeching of rubber tires.

The emotion emanating from within him couldn't be considered anger anymore. It was fury. Fury and a whole lot of pain.

I kept my eyes locked on the swirling patterns of the hallway carpet, trying desperately not to look into Jasper's hurt and beautiful face.

Was he still mine?

_Was I still his?_, the evil voice inside my head countered.

A hundred thousand flying needles came rushing in and poked every inch of me.

Jasper stopped, surprised by the rather abrupt feeling that had come from deep within me.

His face, hurt and angry as he felt, still refusing to look at me, looked stoic and almost…

I could not say the word.

I couldn't take seeing what I had done to him and so I ran to the hotel room, leaving him to walk alone the rest of the way.

He couldn't look at me. That was a painful fact. Perhaps, looking at me made him want to hurt me. Or maybe he hurt every time he looked at me.

I got into the bathtub by the time he entered the room.

Wanting to drown myself in the tub of scalding hot water, I stared up at the bathroom ceiling to assemble the mess of events of the past hour and what I would do with them.

They weren't very many. Just three. But these three are worth more than a thousand trivial problems.

Edward.

Alice.

Jasper.

What would I do with Edward? I love Jasper but I could not deny that Edward still had power over me.

What would I do with Alice? My face heated up in anger at the sudden change of her attitude. It didn't seem like her at all.

And lastly, and most importantly, what's going to happen between Jasper and me?

oOo

Jasper's knock on the bathroom door woke me from my stupor.

"I'm going out. The food I ordered is in the living room."

And before I could voice out an "Okay,thanks. Be back soon. I love you.", I heard the soft shutting of the door.

I let out a loud sigh as I went into the shower.

An hour later, I gobbled up everything he ordered (Romaine salad, lamb chops, corn chowder and mudpie for dessert.) I realized I was starving the moment I swallowed my first spoon of corn chowder.

Jasper arrived 20 minutes after I had put down my spoon.

He didn't look at me, rather, he faced the empty plate in front of me and asked, "Are you done?"

I nodded, suddenly afraid of the restraint he was showing. I had no idea when it would burst, and I was terrified to think of what would happen if it came. I tried to erase it from my memory.

"We have to talk."

I spoke too soon.

He pulled a chair and sat down in front of me.

"Bella, I know about you and Edward. You can say there's nothing going on between the both of you now, but I know there is something. "

I opened my mouth to rebut but he raised his right hand to stop me and he went on.

"One way or another, in the future, Edward will come and whisk you away again. I'm telling you this to assure you that I am here. I will not go down without a fight. I will never raise that white flag of surrender. I've told you I've given my heart, though dead and unbeating, to you. I'm not going to take that back. I never will…unless you give it back to me. And even if you do, I can't guarantee that it will erase your name from its memory. That's why I'm also here to ask you a question. "

He paused and looked at me in the eye.

To say that his golden eyes were mournful is an understatement. They were tortured and slowly dying.

"What are we now, Bella?"

I looked at him, my eyes stunned and my heart beating fast.

"Jasper, I…"

"And please, Bella. No bull."

He tried to joke, but it miserably failed.

As I stared at his face, and as I felt the terror and stress he was feeling, I quickly gathered my thoughts.

I loved Edward.

I love Jasper.

2 different meanings.

The former meant that that was in the past, while the latter was in the present.

To take it technically, the Edward sentence weighed one letter more than Jasper's.

I knew Jasper had done more for me than Edward did. For one thing, he didn't leave me.

Hasn't.

Won't, I mentally scolded myself. He won't.

Edward had hurt me more times than Jasper.

Yet, I couldn't say Edward was a bad lover.

They can shower you with so much adoration you would feel like a queen every day.

But they can also tear you apart like a hungry lion feasting on a fresh catch.

And right now, Edward was doing a good job in slowly tearing my resolve apart.

For some reason, I felt uneasy over the sudden change I've seen in both of them.

"So?", he prompted.

I smiled numbly at him while quickly gathering some ideas to make this messy puzzle fit.

Everything became a little more complicated when I think about it. So many unanswered questions.

"Let's see what tonight holds. Could you give me a little more time please?"

He nodded, suddenly grim.

"So, you're not denying?"

My throat suddenly went desert-dry. I nodded.

"No. Everything you said is true."

It is a funny thing how those 6 little words can change the environment.

And then the hundred thousand flying needles make a rough comeback.

And then it stopped.

"I'm sorry, I lost control.", he said, faintly.

He stood up.

The dam broke the moment he entered the bathroom to change.

oOo

The Hotel Ritz Paris ballroom held no reaction when 3 beautiful people (oh, and me) entered.

The staff was trained to play it cool (poker face) especially since the hotel was a favorite among the world's most popular. They were not to stare too much at the incoming guests, nor were they to ignore their presence.

However, other guests were not trained to do so, so, naturally, there was a lot of gawking from the patrons the moment Alice and Edward glided into the room, followed by Jasper and me.

I can feel the stares. I felt out of place with these high brow people in their equally high brow dresses and even more so with the 2 gods and goddess (this I could not deny) I am with.

Jasper looked at me from the corner of his eyes and then placed my arm around his, instantly calming me.

I looked up at him as we walked to the table we were assigned (of course, we just had to be VIP) and saw that underneath the smug look he was showing, (I refused to think that he was proud of me being his date), was despair and anxiety. Even with such a troubled face, though, his beauty never wavered.

Someone cleared his throat and that brought me out of my reverie, and I was surprised that we were already sitting down.

I was seated beside Jasper and one vacant seat away from Edward and Alice. It was a 10-seater circular table but probably thanks to the ostentatious Alice, we had it all to ourselves.

For a minute, no one said anything. Everyone was trying to get a good gauge over the temperament of every other person in the table.

Edward finally puts his elbows up on the table and turned to me, "Well, Bella, don't you look _ravishing _today. Not that you don't look particularly delectable every day. Any more fashion shows I should watch out for?"

Fire erupted in my cheeks, out of both flattery and embarrassment.

"Stop it, Edward.", I told him as I looked away from him and peeked at Jasper's reaction. He was angrier.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice smirking and placing her elbows on the table as well, with her hand clutching her neck.

"Yeah, Edward. Stop complimenting her or she might just throw herself back at you again."

Fire blazed through my eyes but as I opened my mouth to retort, Jasper placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Children, let's act our age."

Jared was the epitome of calm as he stared at Alice and Edward with questioning eyes.

His curiosity was quickly hidden with a smirk.

"Let's just…eat."

All three dry laughed as he realized they would have to eat human food to prevent revealing their preferred diet.

It was going to be a long night.

To count the number of times there were tense and awkward moments during cold cuts and salad time as well as during the main meal would be tedious and stressing.

Alice made it a point to bit out a nasty remark at me whenever I tried to negate a compliment from Edward or something that Jasper said. It would suffice to say that Jasper's gift was used to its full potential.

By dessert, I was up to my nose in anger (Despite Jasper's efforts, the anger bubbling inside me only accumulated every time his power over me fades.)

And I was angry not only at Alice, but at the three of them.

Alice, because she was being a bitch. There would be no other description as to what she was displaying right now.

Edward, because it was pretty obvious that he was taunting Jasper and at the same time, wooing me to fall for him all over again. He didn't bother covering up the flowery words and the suave compliments.

And at Jasper, because he seemed indifferent and unaffected with what was transpiring right before his eyes.

There was Alice making seductive eyes at him. Edward flashing that lopsided smile and showering a multitude of compliments at me. Me making pitiful glances at him, hoping he gets the notion that I want to get out of this fake "welcome dinner". Him answering every question Alice throws at him with less indifference than he was showing me.

It's like all three of them were conspiring to make this night as bad as it can be.

As the crème brulee arrived(damn it, and Jasper had to order my favorite), I couldn't take it anymore and stood up.

"Restroom."

Alice smirked, knowing my real destination was far from it.

"I'll go with you. I need to go to the restroom, too." Jasper stood up.

"Why, Jasper? When did you start having normal body functions?" Alice taunted him, probably wanting him to stay.

Edward kept quiet and scanned the room, probably searching if someone was overhearing what Alice was spewing out.

"No, its okay, Jasp. I'll be right back."

I turned to Alice and smirked right back at her. She scowled.

I paused, surprised at the difference her scowl made to her tiny face.

I headed to the restroom, my heart suddenly pounding hard, and with my mind speeding back to memories from the time Edward left with Alice, to when they came back, to the slow reaching out for a reconnection with their former partners, to the sudden aggressiveness, the pronounced pursuit of Jasper and me, up until the fashion show.

I gulped as a terrifying possibility entered my mind.

No, no. That couldn't be true.

Could it?

The answer lay waiting in the lobby.

**P.S. *insert cheeky grin here* **

**I see that some of the links posted in my profile are broken so I'm changing them over the weekend. And I might be posting the ballroom hall, and the dresses worn by Alice, and the 2 guys by that time too. :) **


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